A year ago, Dave Dombrowski identified the Boston Red Sox's primary needs -- a closer, a fourth outfielder, a No. 1 starter, bullpen help -- and then promptly filled them by trading for Craig Kimbrel, signing free agents Chris Young and David Price, and dealing for Carson Smith.

Check. Check. Check. And check.

Dombrowski made it look easy in his first offseason as the Red Sox's president of baseball operations. He pulled an inside straight, acquiring his first choice at each position, never deviating from his original plan, and doing it all before Christmas.

But it rarely happens that way. Teams usually must adapt on the fly as their roster-building strategy is altered by market forces that take players off the board at terms that exceed what had been expected. And as the winter meetings open Sunday night in suburban Washington, D.C., it is clear that Dombrowski's second Red Sox offseason won't go as smoothly as his first.

Start with the fact that 39-year-old free agent Carlos Beltran agreed Saturday to a one-year, $16 million contract with the Houston Astros. Beltran was a fit to take over at designated hitter for retired Red Sox icon David Ortiz. Instead, Beltran joins catcher Brian McCann and outfielder Josh Reddick in an offseason splurge that proves the Astros are serious about contending after missing the playoffs this year.

With two of their other DH options off the board, the Red Sox might consider trying to bring back Mike Napoli. Elsa/Getty Images

Matt Holliday was a potential Plan B. But he came to an agreement Sunday night with the New York Yankees on a deal that reportedly is worth $13 million for one year. So Dombrowski must cross another name off his list in the search for a middle-of-the-order bat to replace Ortiz's production.

If Ortiz were in charge, he would throw a four- or five-year contract at his pal Edwin Encarnacion and move on to the Red Sox's other needs, namely an eighth-inning setup man.

“When you have a guy like Edwin doing what he does, he can ask for whatever he wants,” Ortiz said Friday from his charity golf event in the Dominican Republic. “Not everybody is hitting 40 bombs in the big leagues and doing all the damage that he’s doing. If you’re going to recruit a guy like him, you know you’ve got to bring that money in.”

But Ortiz doesn’t have a job with the Red Sox yet. (At some point, he said he will likely discuss a role, perhaps as an adviser, a la Pedro Martinez.) And even Ortiz realizes the Red Sox have other financial considerations, including perhaps to discuss locking up young stars Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts to long-term extensions.

As a result, Dombrowski appears to have little appetite for signing another free agent to a long-term deal, even though Encarnacion has averaged 39 homers and 110 RBIs over the past five seasons and will turn 34 in January.

So if not Encarnacion, then who?

Beltran and Holliday weren't the only short-term DH options. The Red Sox could take a run at free agents Mike Napoli or Pedro Alvarez. Napoli, 35, had one of his better years for the Cleveland Indians but still might not get more than a two-year guarantee. Alvarez, a left-handed hitter, is a potential fit in the heart of a Red Sox lineup that leans more to the right than Congress. He also hit 22 homers and slugged .504 in a part-time role with the Baltimore Orioles this past season.

And then there's Jose Bautista, whose stock fell after a poor season with the Toronto Blue Jays. But Bautista, 36, also isn't far removed from back-to-back top-10 AL MVP finishes. If he winds up having to settle for a short-term deal to re-establish his value, the Sox could pounce.

“Being a free agent, you've just got to be open to all possibilities,” said Bautista, a guest at Ortiz's charity golf event. “I don't know what the future's going to hold for me. Excited to see what's going to develop.”

The Red Sox could turn to the trade market for production from the left side. The New York Mets, in particular, are trying to move either Jay Bruce or Curtis Granderson, both of whom are signed only through 2017. Bruce will make $13 million next season, while Granderson will receive $15 million.

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones had another idea for how the Red Sox can find a short-term solution to their DH vacancy.

“What if Boston was like, ‘Papi, would you take one year, $28 million?’” Jones said Friday.

Well, Big Papi, how about it?

“I made myself clear, you know?” Ortiz said. “It’s not about the money. It’s how you feel. I’m old, man. I'm done with it.”

So the Red Sox’s search for a new designated hitter rages on. Bring on Plan C, something Dombrowski never needed to explore last year.