A brutal yet appropriate ending to an "eh" Red Sox season. Many people - myself included - expected a much better showing out of this bunch in the ALDS, at least more so than that three-game suck fest we all just witnessed, but in the end it wasn't in the cards and the Angels proved too formidable. I'm a bit less pissed than in years past because this team just never seemed capable of making it all the way, but that doesn't diminish the disappointment much; it still sucks. Anyway, without further ado, here's a look at my top storylines from the past year (and heading into the future):

• Jonathan Papelbon isn't the dominating stopper we all thought - and hoped - he was. Is he a top 10 reliever in the league? Yes he is, and he'll probably continue to be an All-Star two out of every three years or so, but he's shown himself to be incredibly vulnerable this year. Yesterday was just a microcosm of his steady decline. With just one year left on his deal, Paps looking unlikely to agree to a club-friendly contract, and the Sox holding a good deal of young relieving talent, a trade is a definite possibility.
• Similarly, Josh Beckett is not the clear-cut ace he once appeared to be. 5.40 ERA and just 3 Ks over 6.2 innings in a must-win just doesn't cut it. He pitched the most innings of his career this year and compiled his second highest win total (17), but it's clear he's not going to be to this club what Pedro was back in the day.
• On the other hand, the young gun starters (Lester and Buchholz) give us plenty of reason to be hopeful. Lester had a downright fantastic season, racking up a career-high 225 Ks with a fantastic 9.96 K/9 ration, and Buchholz really seemed to settle in late in the season. It'll be fun watching what these two can do next season.
• The offense needs to get a whole lot younger... fast. I love Mike Lowell, but he can't run anymore. I used to love David Ortiz, but he's going to be no good to us hitting in the .220s (even if he does come close to 30 home runs). Jason Giambi clone, anyone? J.D. Drew had a quietly productive year, but he still only appeared in 137 games and apparently even asked out of several. And don't even get me started on Jason Varitek. Long story short, it may be time to throw a lot of money at a young free agent corner infielder, or even start the Lars Anderson era in Boston a bit earlier than expected.
• The Sox need to stick with Alex Gonzalez at short. This team has been infinitely better with Gonzo at short than anyone else over the past few years, and while I don't expect him to bat higher than .250, his clearly superior defense more than makes up for it. Keep Lowrie waiting in the wings, but hold on to Gonzo for at least another year.
• Victor Martinez isn't the long-term answer at catcher, but I'll certainly take him in the short term. V-Mart was arguably the team's top weapon offensively over the last month, and aside from Joe Mauer, he's the best offensive catcher in the league. If he can stay behind the dish for about 100 games per season (he caught 85 between Cleveland and Boston last year), he'll be a pivotal factor in the team's future success. As a backup at $3 million next season, Tek should actually be a bit of a bargain. You know, if he doesn't lose us back-to-back games by letting up a pair of ugly passed balls.
• Jason Bay is not worth Mark Teixeira money. So don't give it to him, Theo. 4 years at about $14 to $15 per sounds about right.

There's surely more to ramble about, but I'm tired from a week in Aruba for my cousin's wedding. Back tomorrow with a look at the Pats' rough start.