BOSTON -- Fenway Park was dreary and wet on Monday, and it wouldn’t have made for a very nice World Series Media Day, which instead took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston due to the results of the American League Championship Series.

However, despite the heartbreaking exit from the postseason for the Red Sox, who led the ALCS 2-1 before losing the next three on their way to winter, the team’s outlook on the just-completed season and the future is much nicer than Boston's weather this time of year.

• Sox on '21: 'No one expected us to be here'

Of course, the Red Sox don’t feel good about losing the ALCS, particularly when they seemed to have control of the series early on.

But the process the organization used to get that deep into October -- which included staying within the parameters of the long-term viability chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom so badly wants -- is one that keeps them right on course.

“I think this year was a validation of our organizational plan and our strategy, which is to continue to build a robust organization at every single level, win at every level and remain committed to the Major League level,” said Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy. “Our fans responded well to that. Players responded well to that. And that’s going to be where we’re going. In terms of our organizational place, in terms of where we are, that holds true and we’re not going to deviate from that plan one bit.”

In other words, 2021 can be viewed as a stepping stone to an exciting period of rebirth for an organization that plans on being a force for many years to come.

“I think in February when I was asked about what my hopes, what my goals were for the season, I talked about how even if we went all the way and won the whole thing, I wanted to come out of it thinking this could be the start of something,” said Bloom. “That we had our next core, which could include players from the last championship and then players that were joining this core, being a part of something we could be excited about going forward.

“We fell six wins short of that ultimate goal, but in terms of this being the start of something, in terms of us feeling like we have a bunch of guys who joined this group who are ready to help us win going forward, I think we're there. I think the mission now is to continue to build on that.”

When filling out the roster last winter, Bloom managed to bring in a batch of new acquisitions while only signing one (Kiké Hernández) to a contract of more than one guaranteed season.

In making trades during the season, including the big one that brought in Kyle Schwarber, the Red Sox traded one prospect in Aldo Ramirez. It would have taken more to beat the Yankees to Anthony Rizzo or the Rays to Nelson Cruz or the Blue Jays to José Berríos.

Schwarber wound up being the most productive position-player acquisition by any team at the Trade Deadline, and there’s a chance the Red Sox will re-sign him once he inevitably declines his share of a mutual team option that is worth $11.5 million.

Meanwhile, star slugger J.D. Martinez has an opt-out clause but seems more likely to opt back in for the third straight season in what will be the final year of his five-year contract he signed prior to ’18.

Could Martinez and Schwarber both fit into the same roster for a full season given their defensive limitations?

“Talent is talent,” Bloom said. “There's a lot of different ways to get where we want to go. And we just need to weigh all the benefits and tradeoffs between each configuration.”

Either way, the nucleus is in place for the offense to be very good again, and hopefully more consistent than in 2021.

The rotation should be better with Chris Sale there from the jump in 2022, at which point he will be two years removed from Tommy John surgery. Nathan Eovaldi, coming off his best all-around season, has one more year on his contract. Nick Pivetta took a step forward, and the Red Sox hope he will take another one in ’22.

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Veteran lefty Eduardo Rodriguez is a free agent and could get a qualifying offer. Don’t be surprised if he winds up returning one way or another, given the solid relationship he has with manager Alex Cora and his teammates and his love for playing in Boston.

Hard-throwing rookie righties Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck could be candidates for full-time rotation spots depending on how the winter plays out.

The bullpen appears to be a big area of need, but it will be in better shape if the Red Sox can get Matt Barnes fixed from his mysterious struggles that became so deep that he was left off the ALCS roster.

“I think those conversations have already started in October, and they’re going to continue in the upcoming days,” Cora said. “Matt Barnes is very important to our program, to what we’re trying to accomplish. I hate to guarantee things, but I know he will be very important to what we’re trying to accomplish next year.”

Whether it was the veterans who had played deep into October before or the young players who were getting their first taste, Cora sensed a vibe that he liked at the completion of the ALCS.

“I think it’s very important to make sure the guys understand that there’s still work to do,” said Cora. “One of the things that last night in Houston that caught my attention was the ‘unfinished business’ attitude that was in that clubhouse.”