The Toronto Blue Jays were sick and tired of just playing spoiler to the Yankees and the Red Sox in the AL East. They proved that last offseason when they signed Troy Glaus, A.J. Burnett, and B.J. Ryan, and their second-place finish in 2006—ahead of Boston—seemed to validate general manager J.P. Ricciardi's vision.

The early lessons of this offseason?

The Jays were just getting started. And the Red Sox don't even know where to begin.

Toronto bolstered the middle of its lineup last week by signing a revitalized Frank Thomas.  Now the Rogers Centre will be home to a 3-4-5 of Vernon Wells, the Big Hurt, and Troy Glaus—with Lyle Overbay, Alexis Rios, and Bengie Molina scattered around them.

The rub is that the 2006 runner-ups want to be more than postseason posers, and the organization seems to have developed a sound development strategy based on a solid farm system and key free agent signings. With Burnett, Roy Halladay, and Gustavo Chacin set to anchor the rotation, the Blue Jays could be a scary sight come October 2007.

As for the team that finished behind them two months ago? Let's just say all is not well in Red Sox Nation.

Baseball experts scratched their heads when it was rumored that the Sox were prepared to bid somewhere in the range of $40 million for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka. Instead, Boston did the doubters one better: They shelled out a whopping $51.1 million to chat with the Japanese star. I guess there's nothing like a flood of cash to drown out the voice of reason.

While everyone from Peter Gammons to Theo Epstein went starry-eyed in anticipation, the Sox were losing a key piece of their 2007 puzzle. The departure of Alex Gonzalez to the Cincinnati Reds means that next year's Sox will trot out their fifth different starting shortstop since the start of the 2004 season. In any other city, this would be headline news—but it's hardly even raised a ripple of interest in Boston, where the Fenway Faithful don't want to talk about anything besides Matsuzaka.

Hanley Ramirez, the onetime Boston prospect at short who won the National League Rookie of the Year with the Florida Marlins in 2006? Never heard of him. Anibal Sanchez, who was shipped to Miami with Ramirez and threw a no-hitter for the Marlins last year? Why even talk about him, if he's not charging $51.1 million for his time?

In exchange for Ramirez and Sanchez, the Red Sox picked up the not-so-dynamic duo of Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett. Heading into the winter, they have holes at second base (Mark Loretta filed for free agency) and in right field (so did Trot Nixon). The core of their bullpen—"new" closer Craig Hansen and 41-year-old Mike Timlin—boasted a 6.63 ERA last year. Timlin only managed to convert nine of seventeen save opportunities.

It's been said before, but it needs to be said again: Boston is in trouble next season.  Yes, their rotation looks to be strong, with Matsuzaka possibly joining Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield, and Jonathan Papelbon—but even that quintet has weak spots. Schilling is an old man. Beckett has yet to prove he can cut it in a league with a DH. Wakefield and Papelbon did extended time on the DL last year. And Matsuzaka has never pitched in the big leagues—or more frequently than once a week. If Bostonians think that adds up to a sure thing, they'd better check their math.

Of course, pitchers and catchers don't report to spring training for another few months, which means the Sox still have time to get out of the hole they've dug for themselves.  But they'd better start climbing today. With an unstable middle infield, few candidates to set the table for David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez (if he's still around), and a bullpen with an ERA halfway to double-digits, it could be a long summer in Massachusetts.

And if the Blue Jays keep doing what they're doing, the Fenway Faithful had better start getting used to the feel of third place.