What moves do you expect this off season from Boston?

According to deadspin their team payroll this year is $159MM (fourth highest in the majors) or about $30MM below luxury tax numbers. With Hanrahan, Drew, Napoli, Ellsbury and Saltalamacchia all coming into free agency keeping these guys is going to push them over the tax limit. So who to keep without going over the limit.

Napoli and Hanrahan might be more easily replaced but the other three are going to be pricey especially with a pitching rotation costing $63MM in itself. Look out Dodgers and Yankees here comes the Red Sox.

Peavy is under contract for 2014, with an option year in 2015.

Middlebrooks has another year pre-arb and will not even be a free agent until 2019. That means he is totally under club control and will not be traded. He could change position, but will probably be given more time at 3rd.

Ellsbury is a free agent who could go quite high. They will try to keep him.

Drew is not only a defensive specialist but he hits well. Keeper, but not if he gets an excessive offer elsewhere.

Napoli. I assume they will try to keep him.

Boegarts? I dunno how you would judge a 21 yo, who is currently hot, but was not that good defensively in the minors. He could even go back to AAA to get playing time.

When a club wins a WS they usually reward the players and coaching staff with extensions and they are a little more generous than usual. The same thing applies here, they will not trade or cut players from a winning team. At the same time they should not go long term on guys like Drew, even Peavy who have been injury prone.

resigning ellsbury. he's an essential part of the team.

resigning napoli. he is clutch