When Theo Epstein performs the autopsy on the 2005 Boston Red Sox, he’ll be making a jagged incision starting from Curt Schilling’s ankle all the way up to the top of Edgar Renteria’s head.

That is, of course, assuming that Theo will be around to perform the post-mortem. One of the most under-reported stories of this year is that boy wonder’s contract expires at the end of the month.

Let’s just assume, for now, that Epstein’s going to be around for the foreseeable future. The general manager will be looking into why this season ended with such a whimper, and may find a few answers, lack of pitching and defense being the most obvious.

But this season raised a lot of questions about the future, too. Should the Red Sox re-sign Johnny Damon and Bill Mueller? Is Manny Ramirez going to try to force the team’s hand and demand a trade? How many of the blue chip prospects that Theo so steadfastly refused to trade for pitching help this season will be ready to contribute next season? How much more can they expect to get out of the aging and/or injured members of the pitching staff? How many players with declining skills can the roster bear before it’s crushed under the weight of aching knees and bloated contracts?

The first decision the Red Sox will have to make is whether to trade Manny, simply because paying his salary, or passing it off to some other team, will determine how much payroll flexibility they have for the rest of the winter.

It would be a mistake to trade Manny. He and David Ortiz carried the offense in the second half of the season. Take his production out of the lineup and you turn David Ortiz into a 30 homer, 100-RBI guy instead of the near 50-homer, 150-RBI MVP candidate he was this year. And say so long to Papi Clutch, too, because teams will give him the Barry Bonds treatment late in close games.

The Red Sox won’t be able to find a replacement for Manny in a trade. It’s unlikely a suitor, most likely the Mets, would give the Red Sox much more than 75 cents on the dollar for the slugger. The free agent market is thin, with Paul Konerko the only potential free agent who even comes close to Manny’s production.

Ramirez is reportedly looking for a new agent, and speculation has it that he’s doing so to try to force Boston to move him. If that’s the case, I say the Red Sox should call his bluff, but I seriously doubt they will. Given how publicly they’ve tried to get rid of him the last two years, ownership is just looking for an excuse to deal Manny, and if he starts making noise this winter, they’ll be able to justify not getting equal value for him to the fans.

Don’t be surprised if ownership ends up tying re-signing Damon to moving Manny’s contract. Damon’s going to be looking for at least $10-12 million per year, probably for at least four years. The Red Sox, fresh off the Edgar Renteria bust, won’t even consider paying that if they still have to pay Manny. But I also think they’re savvy to Damon’s marketing value and his value to the team as a leadoff hitter and a guy who plays hurt and busts his butt every day. If they do dump Manny, I think re-signing him will become a priority, especially if the Yankees get involved.

As for Mueller, I love the guy. He was a real pro while he was here and a heck of a third baseman, but he’ll be 35 next year, and Kevin Youkilis has waited long enough. Thanks, Bill, and good luck.

Speaking of Youk, who else among the young talent besides “The Greek God of Walks” can the Sox expect to step up as full-time contributors next year? Well, barring a disastrous spring training, you can probably pencil in Dustin Pedroia at second base. Hanley Ramirez is still a year away, as are Brandon Moss, Jon Lester (maybe a call-up for the second half of the season, a la Jonathan Papelbon) and possibly Craig Hansen.

It will be interesting to see what kind of roles the front office has envisioned for the young pitchers like Papelbon and Hansen. Do they have Papelbon earmarked for the rotation, or will they be tempted to keep him in a short relief role? Is Hansen ready to close? What about Manny Delcarmen?

This leads to the second mistake I think Theo will make this off-season – sticking with Keith Foulke as the closer. Here’s a guy on the downside of his career (he’ll be 33 in a little over a week) coming off two knee surgeries in three months. I don’t care how well he rehabs from the latest operation, the Red Sox can not count on this guy to be their closer ever again. If he’s a fallback plan for a Hansen or a Papelbon taking that role, fine. But a guy with his physical problems, let alone someone who also seems to be having emotional problems playing in Boston, can not be the No. 1 closer going into the season.

The disappointing seasons turned in by Foulke and Curt Schilling were the penance the Red Sox paid for last year. Now, the team needs to determine if Schilling, with an off-season to heal and get back into shape, can ever be the ace of the staff again. If not, they need to address their pitching accordingly and try to at least find a 1A, if not a clear No. 1 starter. If they think Schilling does have another year left in him, then they still need to find a strong No. 2 or No. 3 starter. Unfortunately, the free agent pool doesn’t look too deep in pitching, either, with A.J. Burnett and Matt Morris the most promising names (the Giants and Cardinals have team options on Jason Schmidt and Mark Mulder, respectively).

Finding another right fielder might not be a bad idea, either. Trot Nixon is a very old 31 and the Red Sox are already locked into three more years of paying two other guys who are starting to look older than their listed age, Renteria and Jason Varitek.

Red Sox Nation is famous for its abundance of amateur GMs ready to pounce on and second guess any move the guy who actually holds the keys makes during the hot stove league. But this is one winter we won’t be envying him. Let’s just hope we’re not pitying him this time next year.

Randy Whitehouse is a staff writer. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]