This story was excerpted from Ian Browne's Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BOSTON -- The calendar has flipped to 2025, and the Red Sox can’t wait to get going.

Once Spring Training gets underway in the second week of February, manager Alex Cora’s squad can start washing away the bitter taste of the last three seasons, when the club didn’t make the playoffs or finish above .500.

“I do believe this is the last of our struggles,” Cora said late in the ’24 season.

Cora said that due to his belief in the continued growth of the team’s exciting young core and the prospect of adding more talent via trades and free agency.

To that end, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acquired two talented pitchers in ace Garrett Crochet (trade with White Sox) and reliever Aroldis Chapman (free agent), and signing Walker Buehler (free agent).

There should be more to come before Opening Day, as the Red Sox seem determined to flip their recent script.

“We’re going to continue to try to find ways to improve,” Breslow said. “We'll also continue to be mindful of trying to add to the relief group, still trying to balance out the lineup and find a right-handed bat, probably looking at the catching position behind Connor [Wong] becomes even more important. So we've got a lot of work still to do.”

One (realistic) FA target who would still be a perfect fit

Given Boston’s need for an experienced right-handed bat and a veteran leader in the clubhouse, Alex Bregman is as good a fit as there is on the free-agent market. There is some question about how he would fit with the Red Sox positionally. Bregman has played third base his whole career, where Rafael Devers is entrenched with Boston. However, Bregman has sent out signals he would consider moving to second base for the right team and Boston has an opening there. There have also been trade rumors involving Triston Casas this winter. If Casas was moved, Devers could move across the diamond to first base with Bregman staying at the hot corner.

One player poised to have a breakout season

There’s a temptation to say Crochet already had his breakout season last year, but there is more in the tank. The lefty was on a pitch count following the All-Star break, which limited him to 146 innings. If he can make the jump to close to 200, there’s no telling what kind of season he could have, given how dominant his arsenal is. Don’t rule out Crochet elevating his game the way Tarik Skubal did for the Tigers last season.

One prospect to watch

It’s hard to remember the last time a Boston prospect made as significant a jump from one season to the next as Kristian Campbell did last year. With some swing adjustments, Campbell added power to the mix of the many other things he was already doing. It will be interesting to see if Campbell can win a job on the Opening Day roster. If so, he could be a prime candidate to win the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award.

One prediction for the new year

Lucas Giolito will be a Comeback Player of the Year candidate. The righty didn’t throw a pitch in his first season after signing with the Red Sox due to the internal bracing procedure he had on his right elbow in March. Giolito has worked diligently during his rehab, and he was the rare player who built chemistry with his teammates while on a season-long absence from pitching. Giolito’s veteran presence will be a big help to Boston’s young rotation.

Who will be the closer?

Cora will likely keep the competition open during Spring Training, allowing Liam Hendriks, Justin Slaten and Chapman to compete for the job. Assuming Hendriks is fully healthy, he likely breaks camp as the man Cora will entrust for the ninth inning. Hendriks was a force for the White Sox as a closer in 2021-22. He has had his share of adversity since then, beating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and then undergoing Tommy John surgery. There are few pitchers as competitive as Hendriks, and the Boston crowd should bring out the best in him.

Will Trevor Story finally stay healthy?

The guess here is that he will. His injury last year had nothing to do with durability. It was the definition of a freak accident, as Story rolled over his left shoulder trying to make a diving play in the hole in Anaheim. With his right elbow and left shoulder both surgically repaired, Story should finally be in good working order to give the Red Sox the highly athletic player they envisioned at the time of his acquisition in March 2022.