If you thought the off-season battles between the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox started and ended with John Farrell, think again.

In fact, it’s likely to heat up again, this time behind the plate.

Long before the messy and protracted Farrell saga played itself out — it’s debateable who came out ahead there — the two AL East rivals already seemed destined to see their names under the same winter headlines thanks to some similar off-season shopping lists.

Both clubs are looking for a starter (in the case of the Blue Jays, two); a left-fielder (in the case of the Red Sox, a right-fielder as well) and a first baseman (a much higher priority for Boston than Toronto).

Both clubs also have money to spend; the Red Sox thanks to last summer’s blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers that sent $275 million in future salary commitments to Hollywood; the Blue Jays thanks to an increase in revenues this past season that GM Alex Anthopoulos says will be ploughed back into team payroll.

This past Friday, during the final day of the GM meetings, Anthopoulos said he would be willing to trade one of his team’s core young position players if it’ll help land him that coveted starter.

He didn’t name names, but he didn’t have to.

Anthopoulos was likely referring to shortstop Yunel Escobar, centre fielder Colby Rasmus and catcher J.P. Arencibia, the latter perhaps the most intriguing possibility given the large number of teams in search of a starting catcher amid a relatively thin free-agent market.

The Blue Jays are deep at the position with backup Jeff Mathis, top prospect Travis d’Arnaud and the recent acquisition of veteran Bobby Wilson from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Teams in need of a starting catcher include the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates. Teams on that list that could be willing to part with a starter include the Rays, Rangers, White Sox, Mariners, Cubs and Mets.

As a 26-year old with some pop (18 HR in 347 at-bats in 2012) under team control until 2017, Arencibia is an attractive and cost-effective option for clubs when compared to the much older and more expensive free agent alternatives.

It’s a potentially strong position for Anthopoulos to deal from, which is no doubt why Red Sox GM Ben Cherington decided to get in on the possible action this past saturday with the signing of free-agent catcher David Ross to a two-year, $6.2-million deal.

The signing came as a surprise to many with the Red Sox seemingly be set behind the plate with 27-year-old Jarrod Saltalamacchia and 25-year-old Ryan Lavarnway.

The addition of a 36-year-old career backup in Ross not only suddenly makes Lavarnway and Saltalamacchia expendable, but it may also complicate any Toronto efforts to move Arencibia or d’Arnaud.

With the stroke of a pen, the trade market for catchers became much more interesting.

Like Arencibia, the 27-year-old Saltalamacchia provides good production behind the plate (25 HR, .222/.288/.454/.742 in 2012), but he is a poor defender (AL high 26 passed balls in 2011) and eligible for salary arbitration after earning $2.5 million in 2012.

As for Lavarnway, 25, he hit just .157/.211/.248/.459 in 46 games with the Red Sox in 2012, but in 2011 he hit .290.376/.563/.939 with 32 home runs between the Red Sox double-A and triple-A affiliates.

Following the Ross signing, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe offered this list of possible deals for Lavarnway or Saltalamacchia and you can bet many of the names (Matt Garza, Jason Vargas, R.A. Dickey, Jonathan Niese, James McDonald and Gavin Floyd) he mentioned the Red Sox might fetch in return for a catcher are ones the Blue Jays have kicked the trade tires on as well.

Will the Ross signing prove to be the equivalent of Cherington pulling the chair out from under Anthopoulos? Time will tell, but there’s no doubt these two GMs will continue to spend a considerable amount of time this winter trying to come up with ways to outflank the other.

At a time when catchers’ game of musical chairs is playing out, free agent Russell Martin is among those being considered by the Rangers.

— Buster Olney (@Buster–ESPN) November 12, 2012