TORONTO - So this is how the conversation with Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro should begin: ''OK, Mark. We know you're cutting payroll and you know we want Jim Thome. Let's stop playing games here. Get him to waive his no-trade clause and tell him to meet us in Detroit.''

Today is July 15, 16 days before Major League Baseball's official trading deadline. But everyone who watched the Red Sox at SkyDome the past four games knows the 31st is an irrelevant date for New England's favorite baseball team. The Sox are on deadline now. In fact, their deadline was an hour ago. Why wait until the end of the month for something that is already past due?

If you're wondering if this sentiment is related to the Sox' losing performance here, the answer is yes. Of course. It would have been OK if the Sox had lost a game or two to the team with the undistinguished resume. When they lost three of four, they made themselves coverboys for the Cry For Help manual.

You just don't lose three straight to the Jays, not if you're serious about playing in the postseason. You don't lose three games to them when John Burkett, Derek Lowe, and Pedro Martinez pitch in the series. That should have been two wins, minimum. Instead, the Sox had to watch a group of Jays dance on home plate yesterday in the ninth, celebrating a 6-5 win.

After the loss, Grady Little and his players retreated to a quiet clubhouse to say nice things about the Jays. The Jays probably haven't heard as many compliments from their own families. According to the Sox, Ontario has a nice young team to be proud of, a team that is going to beat up on people before too long.

I like Little and love the personality of his team, but I respectfully disagree. The Jays are terrible. They have the third-worst pitching staff in the American League, with 102 more walks than Sox pitchers. They are the fourth-worst hitting team in the league, a team with a gift for homers (105) and strikeouts (660). You could say the same thing about the Yankees, but let's be serious. There is no comparison.

The Sox lost this series - in front of thousands of their fans - because of poor hitting, even if the last thing you saw was Eric Hinske abusing a bad Ugueth Urbina fastball. The Sox have a solid batting average, but when it comes to first basemen, there are very few Boston Pops. That's obvious two out of every three times Little pencils in the position in the lineup. Two first basemen, Tony Clark and Jose Offerman, are carrying absentee bats. The only interesting subplot to their season-long slumps is that the manager is clearly more comfortable with Offerman.

All of this would be a nonissue with Thome. He could slide into the No. 5 hole and instantly strenghthen the rest of Boston's lineup. Johnny Damon and Rey Sanchez would be in the top two slots, followed by Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, Thome, Shea Hillenbrand, Trot Nixon, Jason Varitek, and the manager's choice of a designated hitter, most likely Brian Daubach.

As for acquiring Thome, it can be done. The Sox are waiting for the price to come down, like a group of shoppers waiting for the automatic markdown at Filene's. There is no need to wait. They are going to have to live for the moment, lose Casey Fossum and someone else, and hope that a strike doesn't ruin their plan.

Really, what is there to wait for? It already has been established that baseball is the ultimate Have and Have Not operation, and the Sox are part of the aristocracy. The competitive imbalance is outrageous, but there's no need for self-righteousness now. A deal has to be made. Quickly. It would be perfect if the Sox and Yankees met in the Bronx on Friday, each showing off a new purchase. The Yankees will talk about Jeff Weaver and Raul Mondesi. The Sox will brag about Thome. They'll take the field, throw their Monopoly money at each other, and see who wins the three-game series.

Sox owner John Henry and his crew won't like to hear this, but one of their biggest rivals - Dan Duquette - already has gotten the team this far. If they don't like the fact that the former GM is constantly seeking credit for this team, they should do what the Duke couldn't do. They should add a first baseman who knows about 40-homer seasons, hitting behind Ramirez, and playing 18 holes with Little.

The Indians' phone number is public. The first baseman is necessary. And the conversation should end like this: ''Thanks a lot, Mark. You've got a deal. Please remind Jim that he can fly from Cleveland to Detroit in less than an hour.''

By Michael Holley

This story ran on page D1 of the Boston Globe on 7/15/2002.

Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.