Craig Breslow, the chief baseball officer, has work to do to turn the Red Sox into a contender, including significant additions to the pitching staff. Charles Krupa/Associated Press

It’s the baseball offseason in New England after the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs. A time when baseball reporters reintroduce themselves to family members, play a little golf and try to catch up on what’s happening in the rest of the sports world.

Winter came early, again, in Boston. The season ended more than a week ago for the Red Sox with a disappointing .500 record that was still the team’s best in three years. The Sox have missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and been to the playoffs just five times in the last 12 years.

This week, Manager Alex Cora said being in playoff contention “is not good enough.” He said the team must be in the hunt for the AL East title in 2025, and vowed the Sox will be. He has repeatedly said the days of struggling to reach .500 are over.

The optimism springs, in part, from the group of highly touted prospects working up through the pipeline. But parades are better than prospects, and the Sox will have to figure out how to flip some of that minor-league capital into major-league pitching. The pitching has fallen short each of the last three seasons, and without significant upgrades at the top of the rotation and in the bullpen it’s hard to imagine the team taking a significant step forward next year.

That said, with an addition or two on the pitching side, this team could be much better in 2025. The Sox are closer to respectability than they’ve been in awhile. It’s up to Craig Breslow, the chief baseball officer, to land the right arms to get them there.

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Watching the baseball playoffs, it’s hard not to count the number of former Sox players still competing in October. And it was especially hard for fans to watch Alex Verdugo lead the Yankees to a win in Game 1 of the ALDS.

The Sox clearly came out ahead in the deal that brought three Yankee pitchers back for the enigmatic Verdugo, who will head into free agency after a lackluster season in the Bronx. But there’s nothing worse than watching former Sox players excel in pinstripes in October.

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How surprised were you to hear Terry Francona was returning to manage the Cincinnati Reds next season? I played with Francona at the Drive Fore Kids golf tournament in Falmouth in June, and he told me he missed managing and would do it forever if the travel didn’t take so much out of him.

He also said he was feeling as healthy as he had in years. Four months later he is clearly feeling good enough to get back into the dugout.

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Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins ended a contentious negotiation, agreeing to an eight-year, $66 million deal. Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

The Bruins locked up top goaltender Jeremy Swayman just in time for their opener on Tuesday night at Florida. The negotiations had grown so contentious that they felt like they were bordering on irreconcilable differences.

In the end, both sides got what they wanted. Swayman got an eight-year, $66 million deal that makes him one of the top-paid goalies in the game. The Bruins got their No. 1 goalie and now look to be one of the stronger teams in the East.

Swayman has spent more than a year grinding on the ugliness of last year’s arbitration process. Let’s hope he can put that aside and spend the next eight years in black and gold glory.

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You had to love Jaylen Brown’s attempt to downplay the importance of the Brown-and-Jayson Tatum duo on the court. Instead, Brown said the Celtics’ depth is what should be highlighted.

Until they won their first championship, these Celtics were often taken to task over a lack of leadership. Now, with their playoff pedigree etched in gold, players like Brown are showing how much they have learned over the years. Brown has become a true leader. Tatum has handled a potentially humiliating experience in the Olympics beautifully.

All of this could lead to the 2024-25 Celtics being even better than the group that won it all last season. That has to be a scary thought for the rest of the NBA.

Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN.