BOSTON -- This wasn't what Mark Loretta was envisioning.

He was certain, when he was obtained from the San Diego Padres for Doug Mirabelli last winter, that he and the rest of the Boston Red Sox would be preparing for a trip to the postseason when the Baltimore Orioles invaded Fenway Park for a season-ending three-game series, beginning tonight.

"I expected to be playing meaningful games here at this stage of the season," said Loretta.

Instead, the Sox and the Orioles will go through the motions of trying to win these last three games because Major League Baseball doesn't allow anyone to just run up a white flag and leave for vacation early.

Boston long since fell out of the playoff chase, so there will be no buzz around Fenway this weekend, even though the three games no doubt will be sold out.

And for Loretta, these games most likely will constitute his final ones in a Red Sox uniform despite a very solid offensive and defensive season in Boston.

The handwriting on the wall is unmistakable. Rookie Dustin Pedroia is expected to move into the starting spot at second base, leaving no room for Loretta.

There is no reason to shed any tears for Loretta, because, at the age of 35, he will become a free agent and there will be more than one team ready to sign up a steady veteran to bolster playoff aspirations. But it's not as if Loretta can't wait to leave for greener pastures.

"I would love to come back. It has left a bad taste in my mouth the way the season has ended. I would like the opportunity to come back and take another crack at (helping the team make the postseason)," said Loretta, who is batting .286 with a team-leading 179 hits and only four errors in 152 games.

"This has been a fun place to play. The place (Fenway Park) is packed, day in and day out. The fans are charged up for every game," said Loretta, who also has called Milwaukee, Houston and San Diego home in his 11-year big-league career.

Loretta is well aware, though, that his next chapter in the majors will not be written in Boston. He isn't pushing to leave Boston, but he looks ahead without fear as the free-agent market beckons.

"It'll be interesting," said Loretta, who went through the process in 2002 before signing with the Padres.

"It's always kind of an interesting time to figure out what's the next turn in your career. I'm not overly anxious. At this stage of my career, I have more patience in that regard. My family can handle just about anything," said Loretta, who, with his wife, Hillary, and two children live in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

He'll be seeking a multiyear deal and a place to play regularly, for a team that has a chance to get to the postseason, though, he acknowledged that sometimes it's difficult to tell which teams fit that description, pointing to Detroit Tigers of this season.

Ironically, it was Loretta's desire to play every day that prompted him to sign with San Diego and not Boston in 2002.

"That was a case where I took less money for the opportunity to play," said Loretta. "Boston wanted me to play different positions, moving around the infield and offered more money than San Diego, but in the long run, I wanted the chance to play every day and San Diego gave me that chance."

Ultimately, the Sox got their man for this season. But despite a promising first four months, Boston fell into a sudden and dizzying free-fall that has plunged the Red Sox into a wait-until-next-year mode. And Boston's 2007 season isn't likely to include Loretta.

It's all but etched in stone that the promising Pedroia will develop into a solid big leaguer and enjoy a long career in Boston, but the Red Sox are going to miss the unassuming Loretta in many ways.

He may not have had the best range of any second baseman in Boston history, but he was incredibly steady. And while 142 of his 179 hits were singles, Loretta also generated a walkoff homer against Seattle on April 17 and a walkoff double against Cleveland on Aug. 2 among his four homers and 33 doubles.

Of note, also, was his professionalism. Call him an anti-Manny. While other teammates were dropping like flies or begging out of the lineup because of various physical issues late in August, Loretta refused to leave the lineup despite a strained right quadriceps that made it difficult for him to run or even bend down for ground balls. In addition, the classy infielder moved to first base when the Sox' position-player cupboard became bare and manager Terry Francona wanted to give Pedroia experience at second base.

There was nary a peep of discontent coming from Loretta, a seventh-round pick of the Brewers in 1993 after a stellar career at Northwestern.

He just went out and played to the best of his ability. He didn't get many headlines, nor was he prone to the spectacular fielding play (that was Alex Gonzalez's forte) or the high-profile base hit (that was David Ortiz's speciality).

But in his one year with the Red Sox, Mark Loretta was the consummate professional in an era where selfishness and brashness too often rule the sport.

skrasner@projo.com / (401) 277-7340