Clearly, Adam LaRoche may just be a pre-trade deadline appetizer. Or, as one baseball pundit suggests, insurance in case the Red Sox fail to land one of the much larger fish they have been pursing, most notably Indians catcher Victor Martinez.

At any rate, as summarized at boston.com, Theo Epstein fully grasps the reality that the Red Sox’ lineup needs a transfusion beyond whatever help LaRoche may bring. Martinez, the Indians’ 30-year-old catcher-first baseman, heads into today’s action hitting .287 with 14 homers and 63 RBIs, hardly Ruthian in stature but certainly solid enough to bolster a lineup that remains in a deep funk, Friday night’s 3-1 win over the Orioles notwithstanding.

The big-picture issue concerns whether Indians’ GM Mark Shapiro will be looking for $1.50 on the dollar in terms of a price for Martinez. Clearly the Red Sox’ surplus of pitching prospects – Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, Junichi Tazawa and Daniel Bard – has commanded Shapiro’s full attention.

So, ultimately, Epstein is faced with that age-old philosophical question: With a clear shot at winning a championhip this season, how much potential should he be willing to mortgage?

We’ll find out in the next week.

Tags: Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, Indians, Junichi Tazawa, Mark Shapiro, Michael Bowden, Red Sox, Theo Epstein, Victor Martinez