As the Red Sox sink into their common oblivion of September baseball, take a cold, lineup look and ask, “Are they really that far from the top of the Eastern Division and the team they aspire to catch – the Yankees?”

You be the general manager and select from each team to put together your club for this year’s playoffs.

At first Jason Giambi or Brian Dauback/Tony Clark. That was pretty quick, wasn’t it? Giambi is a franchise player with home run power, RBI punch and plays well enough at first.

At second is Alfonso Soriano or Rey Sanchez. Wow. Soriano should be a Hall of Fame candidate in 25 years. He is one of the most exciting players in the game and one of the most talented. There is an earth to sun difference at this position.

At third is Shea Hillenbrand or Robin Ventura. This is one for the Sox and Hillenbrand because of Ventura’s age. Hillenbrand starts for a lot of clubs while Ventura does a more than adequate job at third as the Yankees await for another young future star to move up from the minors and win the job.

At shortstop is Nomar Garciaparra or Derek Jeter. Take your pick and be guaranteed a winner. Garciaparra is asked to do more for the Sox offensively than Jeter has to do, but Nomar can and does.

Outfielders for the Sox are Johnny Damond, Cliff Floyd, Manny Ramirez, Trot Nixon and Brian Daubach. The Yankees have Bernie Williams, Raul Mondesi, Devon White and Shane Spencer. Probably most would take Williams and Mondesi from the Yankees and Ramirez from the Sox.

Posada and Varitek are both solid behind the plate, but Posada is the tested playoff veteran.

In the all important pitching department Derek Lowe and Pedro Martinez would be selections from the Sox. Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte would come down from the Yankees to complete a starting staff.

The Yankees have Mariano Rivera to close out games and the Sox don’t. Despite a year of injuries for Rivera, going into the playoffs this year, you want him on your side.

When you do the math, you see why the Sox are nine behind the Yankees. The Yanks take 1st, 2nd, catcher, two in the outfield, three of the starters and the closer. Additionally, the Yankee starters outshine the Sox stars, except for Martinez and Garciaparra, by a wide margin.

As teams like the Mets have proven this year, the sum of the parts on the field can sometimes be less, a lot less, than the whole you thought on paper. The Yankees are not that anomaly.

If the Sox new ownership is to make a run at the Yankees, many of the Sox “good” players have to be replaced with outstanding players. For next season, the Sox position by position match-ups don’t have to match the Yankees, but it has to good enough to match the likes of Oakland, combined with two starters who can match the numbers Lowe and Martinez have put up this year.

The new MLB agreement does not reduce the cost of trying to implement such a scheme for the Sox. Boston’s only postseason hopes for the immediate future are free-agent signings. That is risky business and that is what the Sox new owners will pay a general manager to get done.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and NBC sportscaster.