Many key players -- David Ortiz, Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew, Curt Schilling, Julio Lugo -- were banged up or completely missing throughout the long and unyielding campaign, and the Sox forever altered the fabric of their team when they finally dealt with the regrettable Manny Ramirez soap opera in July.

The overriding theme of Boston's season was the level of success achieved despite leaving Tampa Bay without a punched ticket for the World Series. Terry Francona did arguably his best managing job with the Sox and squeezed every last bit out of a team picked apart by injuries and saddled with a handful of underwhelming performances.

The Sox lost the American League East title to the Rays and then lost the AL pennant to the young and scrappy squad formerly known as the Devil Rays, and they did so while playing against a healthy, robust team without holding a full deck themselves.

"Everybody knows that this ballclub was hit with a lot of injuries and a lot of tough situations," Ortiz said. "We tried. We have a lot of guys that will definitely be healthy next season. I'm pretty sure Beckett will be ready to go, Mikey Lowell, Lugo and myself, and most of the time teams go out in the offseason and go get some help."

The offense wasn't as dynamic once Ramirez was sent to the Dodgers in a three-team deal. That being said, the Sox seem to have a solid major league lineup that's locked in at nearly every position with the exception of catcher, where Jason Varitek will enter free agency and could leave Boston with a void behind the plate if he opts to leave his captain's "C" at the door and sign elsewhere.

The Sox have Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield all returning to the fold next season, but they could bring in a fifth starter to compete with youngsters Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden -- and Justin Masterson, if the Sox decide his future lies in the rotation. Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, Javier Lopez, Hideki Okajima and Masterson seem assured of spots in the bullpen, so there may only be a few scarce open positions on the pitching staff.

Simply put, the Sox are set at many spots on the roster and seem to be transforming into a team that relies on pitching and defense combined with opportunistic offense rather than being a team that would simply bludgeon a pitching staff into submission.

The Sox could always utilize more power arms on the pitching staff -- a need that could be met by another wave of young players emerging from Boston's deep minor league system. They team also likely will seek out a bit more right-handed pop.

At the end of the day, though, most of the pieces are in place for another World Series run next season.