As members of the Red Sox organization spoke throughout the course of Saturday’s Fenway Fest, two dominating, dueling sentiments emerged:

First, that the team is hungry for the chance to prove they are better and stronger than last October’s first-round exit.

Second, that the team is not quite complete, and perhaps missing a very important piece.

It will be difficult to achieve the former if the front office cannot solve the latter.

Though pitchers and catchers aren’t due to report to spring training for over a month, the annual fan convention serves as the unofficial kickoff to a new year of Boston baseball. It’s also the first in-person opportunity to put the team under the microscope and discuss the issues, both perceived and legitimate, of the offseason.

This year’s gripe is twofold: the Red Sox are, as of earlier this week, the only MLB team yet to spend a single dollar on a major league free agent, and Alex Bregman remains unsigned.

“We’re still in January, and the rules of the road are, there’s no deadline here to sign free agents,” team president Sam Kennedy said. “We’ve made a number of trades that we will think will help the team. We’ve added significant payroll via trade, I think more payroll, roughly $40 million, than any other team via trade. So that’s been the approach thus far. … It’s been slow on the free-agent side for us, we get that. But we’re continuing to push.”

“We feel like we’ve improved the roster, but still we’ll continue to look for ways to do that,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow echoed. “We’re going to do everything we possibly can to add more offense.”

“The ball is in his court,” manager Alex Cora said of Bregman. “You guys know how I feel about him. … Last year, he checked all the boxes that I knew he was gonna check, and he checked some boxes that people didn’t know he was gonna check. … I love the player. We love the player. Let’s see what happens.”

Breslow would not confirm reports that the Red Sox have made Bregman an aggressive long-term offer.

Asked if he feels this team will be better than last year’s even if the front office makes no further additions, Cora diplomatically responded, “It’s a different season, it’s a different team,” but strongly alluded to the need for another bat. In response to a question about the overall roster, Cora launched into a rave review of the pitching. Pressed to discuss the lineup, he offered a more tempered assessment.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora speaks to the media as the Red Sox hold Fenway Fest. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

“I think pitching-wise, we’re in a great spot,” Cora said. “It’s a good (lineup)… Obviously the front office is still working hard to keep making it better, and hopefully we can cash in.”

“We’ve been talking about balance the last two or three years,” Cora continued. “And I still believe we’re very left-handed, but at the same time we were very left-handed last year and we scored runs. We just have to create balance. If it’s by trades, or free agency, or developing guys. We’ll see where we’re at when we get to Fort Myers, but the offseason is not over.”

Yet in a notable departure from previous offseasons, Cora said he wasn’t ready to reveal his preferred batting order.

“I’m not there yet, to be honest with you,” the manager said. “Usually, I have a pretty good idea around this time (in the offseason), what we’re gonna do, but honestly, I have no idea. I think we have to wait and see what the roster is gonna look like… And we get there when we get there, but for the first time in years, I really don’t know how we’re gonna do it.”

The Red Sox have signed elite free agents late in past offseasons, Cora reminded, pointing to J.D. Martinez in 2018, and Bregman last February.

Rarely, though, do they know exactly the kind of immediate and lasting impact a free agent can have the way they do with Bregman. The veteran third baseman’s absence, after opting out of the remaining two years of his three-year, $120 million contract, loomed largest over the day’s events as several Red Sox players voiced their support and admiration.

Trevor Story, who discussed losing locker-mate and fellow veteran leader Rob Refsnyder to the Seattle Mariners in free agency, said Bregman is “obviously” a target. The two are “in contact a lot,” the shortstop said, before declining to go into further detail out of respect.

Connelly Early described how Bregman approached him at the end of the season to inquire about his offseason plans. The veteran infielder subsequently arranged for the rookie lefty to come train at his Arizona facility for the month of January.

“(I’ve) been able to work with him, pick his brain,” Early said. “It’s been great… Everybody wants him back.”

Rookie sensation Roman Anthony offered the most impassioned plea.

“I would love to have him back,” Anthony said. “I love Breggy. He was a huge part of my success. And a lot of the young guys, and not only the young guys, but many of the guys in the clubhouse, and I think we’re all on the same page as to where we stand with him and what we hope happens. … Selfishly, I would love for him to be hitting behind me for as long as he can. And you know, he knows where I stand with him, and we talk as friends, though, and you know, hopefully we see him in a Red Sox uniform.”

Sidelined with a quad strain when the Red Sox called Anthony up for his long-awaited and highly anticipated debut last June, Bregman devoted even more time to his teammates. Anthony recalled how beneficial it was to learn about how Bregman prepared for games and studied pitching staffs.

“I think he helped so many of us with that,” Anthony said. “He was like another hitting coach for me. … You can pull up the video, he’s sitting next to me every second of the game, just constantly showing me different things and helping me prepare. So (I) can’t speak highly enough about him and about you know what he does as a leader.”