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Yes, they need a bridge to Jonathan Papelbon . . . yet encouragingly, Hideki Okajima has flashed his '07 form lately, so perhaps the solution is already in a Red Sox uniform.

David Ortiz is shaking the rust off and beginning to look like his fearsome pre-injury self . . . but one awkward swing followed by an uncomfortable twinge in his wrist would send the Sox scrambling for a No. 3 hitter.

Jed Lowrie has handled the shortstop position with impressive confidence and skill . . . but it's hard to believe the Miguel Tejada rumors are entirely fictional.

Truthfully, it's difficult to identify exactly what Theo should do, because even now, 108 games and exactly two-thirds of the way into the season, we aren't really sure of this team's true identity. This current sluggish midsummer vibe is reminscent of other recent Sox teams, but right now it's hard to pinpoint exactly which one.

Are these Sox like the '04 crew, which slogged through June, stunned us all with the gutsy trade of the iconic Nomar Garciaparra at the July 31 deadline, then found its stride a few weeks later en route to providing us some of our most precious memories as Boston sports fans?

Are they similar to the '05 team, which scratched and clawed its way to the playoffs, then was promptly dismissed by a superior team?

Or, heaven forbid, are they are like the '06 club, which was overwhelmed by injuries and controversy and ultimately unraveled before the schedule was complete?

We'll find out for sure over the next 54 games and hopefully beyond, but at least a few truths have been confirmed during this stretch of four losses in five games against the Yankees and Angels:

Jon Lester, now 5-1 with a 1.28 after Red Sox losses, is a legitimate stopper, and perhaps even the ace. Justin Masterson is not ready to be the solution in the bullpen at the moment, and combustable Craig Hansen may never be. Jacoby Ellsbury still hasn't adjusted to the inside pitch. And Manny Ramirez will continue to rake, even in the eye of yet another self-inflicted storm.

And most alarmingly, we know this: the Red Sox are not, in their current form, among the truly elite teams. Right now, that's a list of one. And with one savvy and sensible trade Tuesday afternoon, those Los Angeles Angels got a whole lot better.