INDIANAPOLIS — The Boston Red Sox come into baseball’s winter meetings this week with several priorities: to settle the left field situation — probably by re-signing outfielder Jason Bay — and then to add depth to the club’s starting rotation.

What won’t come into play during these meetings, but will likely be an important part of this offseason, is signing catcher Victor Martinez to a long-term contract extension.

The Red Sox exercised the club’s $7-million option on him for 2010 last month, and once general manager Theo Epstein is able to fill in his immediate holes, opening talks on a Martinez extension should be on the to-do list in January, Martinez’s agent said.

Rhode Island native Alan Nero, Martinez’s agent, was roaming the foyer at the Marriott hotel here on Sunday night. When asked about any discussions he’s had with the Red Sox about Martinez, Nero said there haven’t been any — yet.

“There’s nothing going,” he said.

Not yet. But there will be, Nero said, likely in January.

Martinez added an explosive bat to the lineup when he was acquired from the Indians at the July 31 trade deadline in exchange for three pitchers, including Justin Masterson.

Martinez, who turns 31 on Dec. 23, hit .336 with eight homers and 41 RBI in 56 regular-season games for the Red Sox. He quickly demonstrated an ability to come through in key situations and took over the starting catcher’s job from captain Jason Varitek.

The Sox declined their $5-million club option on Varitek, but the veteran exercised his personal option for $3 million and will return next season. Epstein has made it clear, however, that Martinez will be the starting catcher, Varitek the backup.

During the 2009 season, Martinez combined to hit .303 with 23 homers and 108 RBI in a career-high 155 games between Boston and Cleveland.

As one of the few elite catchers, Martinez figures to command a sizeable deal — though at 31, not necessarily a lengthy one. Perhaps the most comparable catchers in terms of production are New York’s Jorge Posada and Atlanta’s Brian McCann, who put up numbers that approximated Martinez’s in 2009.

McCann signed a six-year, $26.8-million deal in 2007 that pays him $5.5 million in 2010. Nero will probably point instead to Posada’s contract when making his pitch. The four-year deal Posada, 38, signed before the 2008 season pays the catcher $13.1 million per year.

If the Twins can sign MVP catcher Joe Mauer to a long-term extension before the Sox begin talks with Martinez, that could also help to dictate the market.