The Boston Red Sox will likely be looking to add some pieces in free agency and here are the guys I think they might likely chase:

1. Josh Willingham - The Red Sox need a RF. With that in mind, Josh Willingham would likely be a good fit at Fenway Park. His swing is perfect for playing at the Green Monster. He put up solid numbers for the A’s, playing half of his games in one of the toughest hitting stadiums in all of baseball.

2. Jason Kubel - If David Ortiz leaves the Red Sox, Jason Kubel would be a perfect replacement. The Red Sox probably wouldn’t want him to play too much in the field due to his knees, but that would be o.k.

3. Chris Capuano - The Red Sox tried desperately to acquire Capuano from the Mets in last September, but to no avail. The Red Sox could use another lefty to team with Jon Lester in the rotation and Capuano would be a good fit.

I think the Red Sox are already the best team in the A.L. East, despite recent injuries as they still hold a 2 game lead on the Yankees. I think a righty swinging RF to platoon with Josh Reddick makes the most sense for the Red Sox to pursue. With the Red Sox not wanting to deal a top prospect for a batter, Jeff Francoeur (Royals), Ryan Spilborghs (Rockies), Juan Rivera (Dodgers) and Chris Denorfia (Padres) make the most sense. If choosing between this group of players, Francoeur makes the most sense as he is having a good year. The Royals would likely want pitching for him. Righty starter/reliever Michael Bowden or lefty starter Felix Doubront would likely be of interest to the Royals, and I don’t think the Red Sox would have a problem in dealing either of them and possibly a minor prospect for him. If the Red Sox acquire an outfielder to platoon with Josh Reddick in RF, they can nail J.D. Drew to the bench. At least Drew won’t get hurt riding the pine unless he gets a splinter somehow.

I think the Red Sox could use a starting pitcher and a lefty reliever by the end of this month. With that in mind, the Red Sox should probably be calling the Oakland A’s about Brian Fuentes. The Red Sox should offer young righty starting pitcher Kyle Weiland to the A’s for veteran lefty reliever Brian Fuentes and cash. I think the A’s would go for this because they just aren’t too happy with Fuentes so far this year. I have a feeling that the Red Sox don’t want to pay the going rate for a starting pitcher. With that in mind, I think they will be checking out Kevin Slowey’s rehab. If Slowey looks good, I see the Red Sox making a play for him by offering rookie outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin for him. I think the Twins would take that deal because they don’t have room in the rotation for Slowey and he keeps getting injured as a reliever. If the Red Sox could add Brian Fuentes and Kevin Slowey to the pitching staff without giving up top prospects (Weiland and Lin are decent but nowhere near elite prospects), they would be in much better shape to win the American League East.

I don’t see the Red Sox making any huge moves at the trade deadline, but I could see them making some smaller deals to make them a better team without emptying out the minor league system. The Red Sox’ biggest need going forward will likely be adding a legit catcher who can throw out some runners once in a while. I think the top two targets could be Kurt Suzuki of the A’s or Geovany Soto of the Cubs. If the Red Sox whiff on those guys I think they could take a look at Rod Barajas (Dodgers), Nick Hundley (Padres) or Ivan Rodriguez (Nationals) as these guys would come with a small pricetag. I think a solid target for the rotation would be Kevin Slowey of the Twins. He is a solid pitcher, when healthy and he would be an upgrade on Tim Wakefield. A right handed hitting RF to platoon with J.D. Drew could also appeal to the Red Sox with Scott Hairston (Mets), Matt Diaz (Pirates) and Chris Denorfia (Padres) each making sense. Finally, the Red Sox could use a lefty reliever and the A’s seem to have a lot of them. The A’s would probably prefer to deal Brian Fuentes with the Red Sox likely more interested in Craig Breslow or Jeremy Blevins. The Red Sox might be good enough to win the A.L. East right now, but to win the World Series….they could use some small upgrades.

The Red Sox have 7 players who could become free agents a couple of days after the World Series. This is the way I would handle dealing with these guys:

Adrian Beltre: 31-year old righty swinging 3B Adrian Beltre has a player option worth $10 million bucks. It will be interesting to see if he chooses to come back to the Red Sox because he will easily be the best 3B on the free agent market. Beltre played in 154 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 189 of 589 (.321 avg, .919 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 28 homers and 102 RBIs. He helped carry the offense when the Red Sox suffered big time injuries the whole 2010 season. VERDICT: I would offer him another option year or two to his contract to try to entice him to stay.

David Ortiz: 34-year old lefty swinging DH David Ortiz has a club option worth $12.5 million bucks. He played in 145 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 140 of 518 (.270 avg, .899 OPS) with 86 runs scored, 32 homers and 102 RBIs. Ortiz, like Beltre, helped lift the Red Sox’ offense keeping them in the hunt despite all of the key injuries they suffered. VERDICT: I would pick up his option for 2011.

Victor Martinez: 31-year old switch hitting catcher Victor Martinez is likely going to get a lot of big money offers in free agency. I’m not so sure he’s worth it because he is a awful defensive catcher. Martinez played in 127 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 149 of 493 (.302 avg, .844 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 20 homers and 79 RBIs. VERDICT: I would let him go and sign a cheaper catcher who can play some D.

Bill Hall: 30-year old righty swinging infielder/outfielder Bill Hall has a club option worth $9.25 million bucks but he won’t see that money. He will still get a $500,000 dollar buyout so don’t feel too sorry for him. Hall played in 119 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 85 of 344 (.247 avg, .772 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 18 homers, 46 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. VERDICT: I would make Hall a decent offer to come back as a bench player in 2011 but I wouldn’t overpay for him.

Jason Varitek: 38-year old switch hitting catcher Jason Varitek has been a solid player for a long time for the Boston Red Sox but it’s time for the team to cut the ties. Varitek played in 39 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 26 of 112 (.232 avg, .766 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 7 homers and 16 RBIs. VERDICT: The Red Sox wanted to get rid of him last season but he had a player option. No such issues this year so Varitek should be a goner.

Mike Lowell: 36-year old righty swinging 3B/1B Mike Lowell was a warrior for the Red Sox just like Varitek. But, like Varitek it’s now time for the Red Sox to cut ties with him. Lowell played in 73 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 52 of 218 (.239 avg, .674 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 5 homers and 26 RBIs. VERDICT: Lowell already did the dirty work for the Red Sox announcing his retirement.

Felipe Lopez: 30-year old switch hitting 2B/SS/3B Felipe Lopez played in 4 games for the Red Sox this year and he was 4 for 15 (.267 avg, .779 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. He played in 113 games overall last season with the Red Sox and Cardinals and he was 91 of 391 (.233 avg, .656 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 8 homers, 37 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. VERDICT: He has played his last game at Fenway unless he’s willing to play on a minor league deal in spring training.