BOSTON -- For the better part of his two-year stay with the Red Sox, Carl Everett was, at minimum, a constant distraction. So it was more than a little ironic that, right up until his final hours as a member of a team, Everett commanded the organization's full attention.

When general manager Dan Duquette made ridding his club of Everett a winter meetings priority, he knew it would be an all-consuming task. But Duquette probably underestimated the degree to which he would be tied to the job.

Duquette could never see the Everett that managers, coaches and teammates saw: a sometimes petulant, often tardy and frequently disruptive force, more frustrating than productive.

"Dan's been working on this -- and this alone since the meetings began," said one baseball official.

Indeed, the Red Sox put a number of free-agent discussions on hold as they talked with the Rockies, Padres and ultimately, the Rangers, on finding a taker for Everett.

Pitcher John Burkett flew up from Texas Tuesday night, got a recruiting pitch from manager Joe Kerrigan Wednesday afternoon, then sat idle for the rest of the day as the Sox were otherwise occupied.

That helps illustrate just how determined the Sox were to move Everett -- and how problematic it was.

Few doubt Everett's talent. Even after he had excised Everett, Duquette couldn't help but pay tribute to the mercurial outfielder's talent for hitting in the clutch (a .302 average with runners in scoring position over the last five seasons). There was more than a hint of disappointment in his eyes when Duquette officially announced the deal in the wee small hours of Thursday morning.

Then again, Duquette could never see the Everett that managers, coaches and teammates saw: a sometimes petulant, often tardy and frequently disruptive force, more frustrating than productive.

In a famous briefing with the media after Everett arrived for a key series with the Cleveland Indians in September, 2000 an hour before gametime, only to pull himself from the lineup, Duquette dismissed the concerns of his players and manager Jimy Williams alike when he said: "All that matters is what he does on the field."

That bit of naivete proved harmful, since Everett saw that as an open invitation to continue his selfish behavior. When things unraveled again last spring, Duquette's belated backing of Williams was a classic case of too little, too late.

(Perhaps fittingly, controversy lingers in Everett's wake. The Rangers maintain that the Red Sox assumed $8 million of his remaining $17.1 million; the Red Sox steadfastly insist the entire amount is the responsibility of Everett's new team.).

With Everett gone, the Sox can move on to new business.

First on the agenda is additional pitching, but not far down the line is the composition of the outfield, where the Sox have a number of parts, but no real plan.

They could shift Trot Nixon to center, where he filled in extensively for Everett last year (70 games). Manager Joe Kerrigan has advocated such a plan since September, a not-so-subtle public reminder that he wanted Everett gone.

If Nixon moves to center full-time, the Red Sox can flank him with Manny Ramirez in left and transfer first baseman Brian Daubach to right, with Tony Clark taking over at first.

Or, they could leave Nixon in right, have Clark DH, Daubach at first and Ramirez in left and find a fly-catcher for center. Eric Young is one possibility, and would provide the Sox with a basestealing leadoff hitter, although that would mean a move from second base.

If the Sox opt for a corner outfielder, the price will go up. Moises Alou would be prohibitive, as would Juan Gonzalez. A more realistic target might be Reggie Sanders, who could provide some run production to help offset the loss of Everett at reasonable dollars.

And despite Boston's $110 million payroll of a year ago, "reasonable" is the operative word at Fenway Park. With the sale of the team proceeding at a glacier-like pace, the Sox seem internally hamstrung, torn between not spending too much of an incoming owner's money and realizing that substantial improvement needs to be done to make the team competitive.

For while the Red Sox tread water and await rescue by Charles Dolan's billions -- or someone else's -- they find themselves in the painfully familiar position of losing ground to the Yankees, who've added Jason Giambi, Steve Karsay, Rondell White and John Vander Wal to their payroll.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox can console themselves with the knowledge with some other math -- by subtracting Carl Everett they have actually added stability and restored some sanity.

The rest of their rebuilding won't be easy -- but it can't possibly be more difficult that getting rid of someone whose presence was too often more trouble than he was worth.

Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal covers baseball for ESPN.com.