And if management is happy with that (there's no reason not to be) then the team has only two or three real "needs" for next year:
1. Replace Ortiz's offensive production
2. Third base
3. Rebuild bullpen depth assuming Ziegler, Tazawa and (maybe) Uehara are gone.
Not saying another "ace" or 4-5 rotation guy wouldn't be a good thing to have, but it seems to me a relatively low priority.
I agree that a starter will be very low on Dombrowski's offseason priority list. He's said as much
at his offseason press debriefing, simply by including Buchholz among the 6 starting pitchers on the MLB club. Should an all-star caliber pitcher fall into his lap, I'm sure that would work, but I can't see such a thing happening.
Both Farrell and Dombrowski also mentioned there, that they don't expect any one player to replace Ortiz's offensive production. That doesn't mean they won't be looking to get a big bat, but the implication is that they won't be committing big money to one player to be everyday DH. Frankly, I would be surprised if they don't use the opening at DH to build a 25-man roster deep at DH/1B/3B types.
Which leads into third base. The Sox don't need to find an answer for 3B per se, because they have several already, and can increase production there in a variety of ways that include addressing 1B and DH in different ways. The easiest solution is simply to hand it over to Sandoval, and hope that slimming down has made him HUNGRY again (thanks, Cafardo!). They could go with Holt there, or a Rutledge/Shaw platoon. Moncada is doing quite well in the AFL, but certainly needs more time in the minors; I suspect that 500+ PA in AAA is what he needs to be able to build an approach to credibly hit against advanced breaking pitches. Picking up a cheap functionally limited LH slugger like Pedro Alvarez or Brandon Moss, who could fit into a hitters' rotation alongside Ramirez, Young, Shaw, Rutledge, and Holt, is far more likely than buying high on Encarnacion, as awesome as it would be to see him hit 81 games at Fenway.
The bullpen is, of course, what the Sox need to focus on most. Unfortunately, that's also historically Dombrowski's weakest area for team building. Koji will come back, though on a 1-year deal for much less than $9M. Again, the Sox have lots of options, both internal and not. How they deal with DH/1B/3B will determine what players can be traded for bullpen help. Who should they trade...Holt? Shaw? Panda? It depends who they can sign, and what their prospective trade partner wants.
And another reason I think it's highly unlikely that Dombrowski will make any blockbuster additions, is simply that losing Hazen means figuring out how that one move will shake out with talent like Torey Lovullo, Gus Quattlebaum and Amiel Sawdaye, while other more stable organizations are planning out their on-field moves.
So yeah, I see a slow offseason ahead.