NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Like many people, Dave Dombrowski has done his shopping well before Christmas.

The president of baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox arrived at the annual winter meetings having checked off the biggest gifts on his list.

Ace?

Check.

David Price officially joined the team Friday after signing a seven-year, $217 million contract.

Closer?

Check.

Dombrowski traded four prospects to San Diego for Craig Kimbrel, one of the top relief arms in the game.

Fourth outfielder?

Check.

Chris Young will leave the Bronx behind and add some right-handed pop to a team that surprisingly struggled against left-handed pitching at times in 2015.

On Monday, Dombrowski continued to fine-tune the roster, sending starter Wade Miley and reliever Jonathan Aro to Seattle for right-handed pitcher Carson Smith and lefty Roenis Elias.

Smith should be a strong addition to the bullpen, having struck out 92 batters in 70 innings with the Mariners. Elias, a starter, should replace some of the depth lost with Miley.

The last time the annual meetings were held in Music City, the big news surrounding the Sox was the signing of Shane Victorino. Mike Napoli would follow later in the offseason and soon Boston was about to begin a championship run.

That was the only playoff appearance this team has made in the last six years.

Dombrowski believes he has already made the big moves to get the Red Sox back into the postseason hunt.

As presently constructed, the Sox will be picked by many to win the AL East. Boston now has the pitching to go along with a young lineup that dazzled at the plate and in the field over the last six weeks of the 2015 season.

There will be other chances to improve the roster this week in Nashville and in the weeks ahead.

The good news for Boston is that Dombrowski will be dealing from a position of strength.

He is no longer desperate to find a top-of-the-rotation or back-of-the-bullpen arm.

Now he can listen to offers without having to be too aggressive. If he does nothing else, he can rest easy knowing he has already improved the team dramatically. Dombrowski may want to see if any team would be willing to take on the contracts of Hanley Ramirez or Pablo Sandoval.

At the very least, the Sox should contend for a playoff spot. Price would have to prove he can succeed in the playoffs, where he is winless as a starter.

Boston fans would just be happy to have a team playing in October in 2016. The Sox have finished last in three of the past four seasons.

Dombrowski knew it would take a few bold moves to jump-start this team, and he wasted no time.

Now, with more than two weeks left until Christmas – and more than two months until pitchers and catchers report – he can mull over the finishing touches in a reconstruction project that is long overdue.

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