In New England, baseball season is over. Finally. The Red Sox season took a mortal blow in mid-August when the Yankees delivered a five-game knockout punch. The Sox staggered through the remaining six weeks of the season, but it was over.

Now, the rebuilding can begin. There are many ways to get a franchise back on track, and Theo Epstein will need to stay out of the gorilla suit and keep the night oil burning to make the 2007 Red Sox a competitive team. It’s a squad that needs help in virtually every area: offense, starting pitching, relief pitching, and even defense.

Here is a five-point plan to get things back on track:

Let Manny be Manny somewhere else

I’m not the first to suggest it, but it’s time for the Sox and Manny Ramirez to go their separate ways. He’s one of the best right-handed hitters in the game, and provides tremendous protection for David Ortiz. That said, he’s expensive, unhappy, and not very good in the outfield.

Last year, the Sox reportedly tried to get Ervin Santana from the Angels for Ramirez. Anaheim reportedly said no. Now, the Angels are also looking to rebuild, and they have to be salivating at the prospect of a one-two punch of Ramirez and Vladimir Guerrero.

The Sox should once again try to move Manny to the West Coast for a package that would include Santana (and a relief pitcher.) That would leave Boston with a starting rotation of Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Santana, Jonathan Papelbon, and Tim Wakefield. That would be amongst the best in baseball.

Replace Manny’s offense

The Sox won’t be able to replace all of Manny’s offense, but they could add more pop to the lineup with a couple of big bats. Sign free-agent Alfonso Soriano to play left (he won’t be cheap, but he’ll be cheaper than Manny) and sign Gary Sheffield to a one-year deal if he becomes available (the Yankees hold an option, but they have too many outfielders.)

A heart of the order featuring Ortiz, Soriano, and Sheffield would be an upgrade over recent lineups. Sheffield would play right field, providing a dramatic offensive improvement over Trot Nixon. Nixon wore the uniform with class and dignity for eight years, but his offensive numbers are too low. He hasn’t hit more than 13 homers or driven in more than 67 RBIs in three years.

Get a closer

The Houston Astros have a good one in Brad Lidge, but they’re not using him any more. He hasn’t been the same since Albert Pujols took him deep last October, but a change of venue could get him back on track. It shouldn’t take a ton to get him, and he’s better than any of the closers on the free-agent market.

Reinforce the bullpen

Like it or not, Keith Foulke will be back (he’s got a $3.75 million player’s option, and he won’t get that much anywhere else.) Mike Timlin should be back (he won’t admit it, but the World Baseball Classic killed him last year.) Julian Tavarez should be dealt in a trade (his late-season work as a starter boosted his value.) Manny Delcarmen should be part of the pen, and Craig Hansen should be in the minors.

That leaves room for help. The Sox should sign a free agent or two with experience closing games. Eric Gagne, Danys Baez, Octavio Dotel and Bob Wickman are all available. Each one would give them late-game insurance, and middle relief help.

Kerry Wood would also be an intriguing option. He’s avoided relief work, but might be available on the cheap with his history of injuries. He’s got great stuff when healthy, and would give the Sox more closing options.

Get a leadoff hitter.

It’s not Coco Crisp. In fact, Crisp’s biggest value to the Sox might be in trade, but if he’s back he should hit near the bottom of the lineup. I’m in the minority on this, but I would not re-sign Alex Gonzalez. His defense was spectacular, but his offense was non-existent. The Sox have long coveted Julio Lugo, and now’s the time to get him. The free-agent is nowhere near as good as Gonzalez in the field, but he’s a good hitter with very good speed and would solidify the top of the order. The Sox could move Crisp to the number-two spot, his spot in the Cleveland order, and have a lineup that looked like this:

1. Lugo, SS

2. Crisp, CF

3. Sheffield, RF

4. Ortiz, DH

5. Sorriano, LF

6. Varitek, C

7. Lowell, 3B

8. Youkilis, 1B

9. Pedroia, 2B

It’s still a little heavy on right-handed batters, but Eric Hinske can spell four different positions as a lefty hitter.

The Red Sox will undoubtedly have other plans. Last year’s off-season was a front-office soap opera that began on Halloween and didn’t end until Spring Training. Let’s hope this is a quieter winter – with the big news coming from on-field decisions.

Lewiston native Tom Caron is a studio host on Red Sox telecasts for NESN.