Scott Pioli with wide receiver Randy Moss whom he obtained for a fourth-round pick.

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The Providence Journal / Mary Murphy

I want to go Christmas shopping with Scott Pioli.

I want him to be my Personal Shopper.

Whatever he says to purchase, I will purchase. Even if I think nobody on my gift list will want it, I will buy it if Pioli says I should. If he says: “Get this,” I will get it, no questions asked, because I know it will turn out to be the perfect present for somebody.

I want to go Christmas shopping with Scott Pioli because I know he will find for me top-quality merchandise at bargain-basement prices.

He will locate designer clothes in a rumpled pile on the sales table, mistakenly marked down from $400 to $4. He will notice that a 4-carat diamond has somehow wound up on a tray of zircons. He will spot a chinchilla coat that everybody else in the store thinks is rabbit.

He is, after all, the man who brought Randy Moss to New England at the cost of a fourth-round draft choice.

Has there ever been a bigger bargain?

Heading into this afternoon’s game against the 1-13 Dolphins, Moss leads the NFL in touchdowns (19) and receiving yards (1,343.) Eight of his TD catches have been of 40 yards or longer — also a league-high. He has 87 receptions — more than double the 42 he had last year with the Raiders.

His poor production last season led some in the league to think that Moss, who turned 30 in February, was past his prime. He had a reputation for loafing at times, and a history of behavior that wouldn’t qualify him for Sportsman of the Year.

But the Patriots were in need of a deep threat, someone who could stretch opposing defenses. And, to Pioli, Moss seemed like the perfect fit, especially at the price. If he didn’t work out, it wasn’t as if the gamble was going to prove costly.

Considered suspect after last season, Moss has been nothing short of spectacular this year, emerging as the big-play guy in New England’s league-leading offense.

The Patriots are averaging a club-record, 37.4 points per game — nearly seven more than the next-highest scoring team, the Dallas Cowboys. The Pats also lead the league in passing yards, averaging 298.6 per game.

That’s why I want to go Christmas shopping with Pioli.

We will go together to pick out a new car. I will be thinking I can afford only a Hyundai. Pioli will somehow manage to make a deal for a Porsche at the same price.

Perhaps I will splurge on a vacation home, confident that Pioli will find me a 4-bedroom place on Martha’s Vineyard with a water view for $299,000.

He is, after all, the man who drafted Tom Brady in the sixth round in 2000.

That would be two-time, Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, who this year has been having a truly super season, throwing for a team-record 45 touchdowns — only four shy of Peyton Manning’s NFL record — while completing a league-high, 69.2 percent of his passes (348 of 503.) His 4,235 passing yards also leads the NFL, as does, not surprisingly, his 119.2 quarterback rating.

Coming out of Michigan in 2000, Brady, who grew up in San Mateo, just south of San Francisco, would have loved to have played for the hometown 49ers. The Niners drafted a quarterback that year — selecting Giovanni Carmazzi of Hofstra in the third round. How smart were they?

Other quarterbacks picked prior to Brady were Chris Redman (Baltimore, Round 3), Tee Martin (Pittsburgh, Round 5), Marc Bulger (New Orleans, Round 6) and Spergon Wynn (Cleveland, Round 6).

The first QB drafted that year was Chad Pennington, by the Jets, in Round 1. The first player taken overall was defensive lineman Courtney Brown, by the Browns.

To which you may well ask: “Who?”

After which, you shouldn’t have to ask why I want to go Christmas shopping with Pioli.

We will go to a wine shop to purchase some Christmas cheer. Near the bottom of a dusty rack of Cabernet Sauvignon, he’ll find a 1995 Chateau Margaux selling for $19.95.

I mention that I’d like to book a getaway weekend at the Waldorf-Astoria, and he’ll get me a rate of $200. Including breakfast and dinner.

He is, after all, the man who got Wes Welker from Miami in exchange for a couple of draft picks (Rounds Two and Seven) last spring. The Dolphins got a starting center out of the deal, in Samson Satele. Welker has given the Patriots a team-high 96 catches for 1,004 yards and 8 touchdowns. He also returns punts (23, for a 10.4-yard average) and kickoffs (6, for an average of 26.2 yards).

With opposing DBs worried about Moss going deep, Welker consistently finds openings underneath for important first downs, and, with his elusive quickness, frequently picks up extra yardage after the catch.

There are lots of other reasons I want to go Christmas shopping with Scott Pioli. The man signed linebacker Adalius Thomas (69 tackles, six sacks) as a free agent from Baltimore, along with running back Sammy Morris (back-to-back, 100-yard games before going on I.R.), wide receiver Donte Stallworth (41 catches, 640 yards, 3 TDs) and veteran tight end Kyle Brady.

All, by the way, while keeping the Patriots under the salary cap.

So, whatever Pioli says to buy, I will buy. Whatever he says to get, I will get, knowing I’ll be getting bargain, and someone will be getting the perfect present.

jdonalds@projo.com