Now the rebuilding can begin. At last.

We’ve been waiting for months to see what Dave Dombrowski, Boston’s president of baseball operations, will do to turn around a team that has finished last in two consecutive seasons. He took over in August, has reorganized the front office, and is now at the general managers’ meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, to lay the groundwork for the 2016 season.

Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski will be looking for the right players at prices he can afford.

It should be one of the most interesting off-seasons we’ve seen in a long time. In Detroit, Dombrowski created a perennial contender through shrewd trades. He acquired Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins in an eight-player deal. If you judge a trade by which team got the best player, it was one of the greatest trades in MLB history – Cabrera won two MVP awards with the Tigers and was the first player to win baseball’s Triple Crown in 45 years.

Could Dombrowski make another trade like that for Boston? It’s doubtful. Yet he has the resources in both players and money to make a deal that could turn this team around quickly.

As we saw at the end of the 2015 season, the Sox have a young nucleus that Dombrowski can build around. Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, and the catching tandem of Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez should be productive major leaguers for years to come. They join veterans David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia as a core group to build around.

It also means there are terrific prospects in the minors that could be made available to a team looking to restock itself through a trade. Outfielders Manuel Margot and Andrew Benintendi have high ceilings, as do shortstop Javier Guerra and third baseman Rafael Devers.

All are 21 years of age or younger. With Bogaerts, Betts, Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Travis Shaw already making their mark in Boston, the prospects could be made available. Along with pitching prospects like Henry Owens or Brian Johnson.

There are plenty of free agents available, especially pitchers. David Price, Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann headline one of the most intriguing free-agent pitching classes in years. But all will command long-term contracts at premium prices. Dombrowski will have to think long and hard before deciding if he wants to lock up a pitcher into his late 30s or early 40s.

That’s why the trade route would make more sense. There are teams out there with plenty of pitching depth but little depth in the lineup. The Cleveland Indians finished 2015 just three games ahead of the Red Sox with a pitching staff led by former Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber. Behind Kluber were Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Cody Anderson, and Josh Tomlin. Any one of those pitchers could help the Sox. Who knows, the right package might get a reliever to boot.

Make no mistake, Dombrowski will also be looking for relief help. That’s where free agency might be a better option. You could rebuild a bullpen with arms like Casey Janssen, Darren O’Day, Tony Sipp and Antonio Bastardo. Projects like Ryan Madson, Joakim Soria, and Fernando Rodney could get consideration as well.

You can rebuild a bullpen for the price of a premium starter, and without the long-term commitment.

As Dombrowski meets with other GMs this week he could be laying the groundwork for the long-awaited way out of the mess this franchise has found itself in.

Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.

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