This time last year Red Sox fans were mired in an existential crisis. Coming off back-to-back last-place finishes, early optimism that the club would go “full throttle” over the offseason was proving ill-founded.

It was going to be another long, cold, boring winter.

This week I looked back at last year’s edition of this Christmas wishlist column, and boy was it bleak. Rather than concrete baseball moves like a front-of-the-rotation starting pitcher or a right-handed bat, the things highlighted as the things fans wanted most were “a sense of direction,” “a vibe shift” and “some commitment from John Henry.”

Red Sox wish list goes deeper than baseball this Christmas

That last part even included an overworked comparison to “Elf,” specifically the scene where Buddy’s younger brother embarrasses the TV reporter live on air by revealing that the thing she wants most for Christmas is a “Tiffany engagement ring and for her boyfriend to stop dragging his feet and commit already.”

Yes, in this analogy, Red Sox fans were the longing reporter and Henry was the noncommittal boyfriend.

This year Red Sox Nation is in a much better place. The club did not finish last again, showing some measure of progress on the field and in the standings, and so far this winter the club actually is showing a real sense of urgency, making a strong push for Juan Soto and pulling off a blockbuster trade for new ace Garrett Crochet.

The fanbase might not quite have enough cheer to power Santa Claus’ sleigh, but there is finally hope. And with that hope, Red Sox fans can get back to dreaming about superficial pleasures like another big-name pitcher instead of stewing in fear that the only thing waiting under the tree will be a lump of coal.

So, with all that out of the way, this year’s Red Sox wishlist.

Houston Astros infielder Alex Bregman is one of the top free agents on the market this winter. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

A $200 million contract

The Garrett Crochet trade was without question the biggest and boldest move the Red Sox have made in years, but for some fans, it wasn’t enough. The Red Sox were willing to deal a handful of talented prospects, yes, but they still haven’t shown they’re willing to spend real, actual money.

For the Red Sox to finally put that Scrooge narrative to bed, they’re going to have to make a splash in free agency as well.

Sure, demanding the club write a nine-figure check might seem akin to the singer from “Santa Baby” casually asking for the deed to a platinum mine. It’s just $200 million, right? Well, as of this writing the Red Sox are $51 million under the first luxury tax threshold and $71 million under the second, giving them enough flexibility to add multiple premium players. Plus, they’ll have another $60 million coming off the books after 2025, so the long-term outlook looks even better.

Put it all together, and the Red Sox are ideally positioned to make a big push. Signing a top free agent to a deal in excess of seven years and $200 million would send a clear, unmistakable signal to both the fanbase and the baseball world that the Red Sox are done messing around, and it’s hard to imagine anything that would make fans happier.

Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could emerge as one of the top players on the trade market over the next year or so. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

A shocking trade

Actually, there might be one thing.

Expectations dictate so much about how fans interact with their team during a given season. If a club is supposed to be good, then it can be hard to find joy in the wins while the losses become magnified. But if a club exceeds expectations, that’s when you get something like the 1967 Impossible Dream, a magical run that lives on in peoples’ hearts forever.

A similar dynamic applies to offseason moves as well. The Crochet trade may not have knocked some people’s socks off because on some level it was a trade the Red Sox were supposed to make. We’ve heard rumors and seen hypothetical trade scenarios involving Crochet since last summer, so when the trade actually happened fans were happy but maybe not shocked. Same thing with any free agent signing. Fans know who’s out there and spend all offseason imagining how the best players would look in their favorite team’s uniform.

But like any memorable Christmas present, the ones that really make the biggest impact are the ones that either nobody sees coming, or which seemed out of reach until the moment they landed in your lap. So imagine how Red Sox fans would feel if one morning they woke up to a report that hours earlier would have seemed preposterous. Like, say, a trade for someone like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Tarik Skubal.

Something like that would be a true Christmas miracle, but even if it’s not quite a move of that magnitude, a bolt from the blue might be enough to make even the Grinchiest Red Sox fan’s heart grow three sizes.

Could Roman Anthony follow in Nomar Garciaparra and Dustin Pedroia’s footsteps as the next homegrown face of the Red Sox? (Courtesy photo)

Name tags

Once upon a time everyone knew the best Red Sox players. David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez, these were household names and ubiquitous presences in the New England cultural landscape.

Today, there are Red Sox fans who can’t name more than two or three players on the team. Some can’t name any at all.

There are reasons why this has happened. The team hasn’t made the playoffs in three years, and MLB in general isn’t the dominant force it was 20 years ago. But the fact of the matter is the Red Sox don’t have many players who are particularly famous, and it’s tough to connect with a team when you don’t know who’s playing.

That’s a shame, because this team has plenty of guys who are worth watching.

Rafael Devers has been one of the best hitters in the sport for the last six years, and when healthy Trevor Story has show-stopping potential. Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck were both All-Stars in 2024, and Crochet could potentially establish himself as a perennial Cy Young contender.

Once the team starts winning maybe fans will start to take more notice, but perhaps the team’s biggest celebrities could be the ones on the cusp of their MLB debut. I’m talking about Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell, the remaining members of what used to be the “Big Four.” Fans have been hearing about them for years, and if they live up to the hype, it could be like Nomar Garciaparra and Dustin Pedroia all over again.

Either way, some free advice to any player who wants to become the most famous Red Sox of all: let your play on the field do the talking, but if Dunkin’ or Jordan’s Furniture asks you to do a commercial, say yes.

Some cool new jerseys

There’s a good bet thousands of Red Sox fans across New England actually will wake up to a brand new jersey under the tree this year, but after what can charitably be described as a troubled year for MLB on the uniform front, the jersey enthusiasts among us have a lot to took forward to.

For starters, our long national Vapor Premier nightmare is over. The new uniform template designed by Nike was a total flop, earning widespread ridicule for a litany of issues including small player names on the back and an overall cheap look and feel. Next year MLB is going back to the old Majestic template, so any fans looking to pick up a new Crochet jersey can expect a crisper, classic design compared to what was on offer previously.

Beyond that, sometime next season the Red Sox will also launch their new City Connect jersey. Given how popular the original yellow turned out, it will be fascinating to see what the club comes up with this time.

Playoff tickets

Craig Breslow has said it every time he’s stepped in front of a microphone this winter: Red Sox fans have waited long enough, and it’s time to deliver.

Obviously a playoff berth isn’t something the Red Sox can gift their fans on Wednesday morning. It’ll take months of hard work over the course of a long season before the postseason is even a possibility. But that work is already underway, and through their actions so far the club has restored the very thing that defined this fanbase during its glory days — belief.