Red Sox offseason from hell refuses to die, so we must suffer a little longer

We often talk about teams limping to the finish line. The Red Sox are instead staggering to the starting tape.

But with less than a week to go until spring training, at least the 2020 team is finally taking shape.

On Friday, the Red Sox continued working with the Twins to amend the Mookie Betts trade in light of Brusdar Graterol's iffy medicals. The Boston Globe also reported that they're preparing to name Ron Roenicke as their next manager, once MLB completes its investigation into sign-stealing during the 2018 season, though the Red Sox say the search is ongoing.

It is past time to put this sorry offseason to bed. Were the winter a game of Oregon Trail, the Red Sox would've lost Sally to dysentery and Matthew to typhoid well before fording that final river into the Willamette Valley.

LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.

Consider the disasters that have befallen them since finishing a disappointing 84-win campaign:

* They fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski before the season even ended.

* With potential replacements diving under tables and hiding in trees to avoid so much as interviewing for the job, the Red Sox eventually hired their only external candidate, Chaim Bloom.

* They then gave him a miserable task: shed about 15 percent of the payroll while keeping the team competitive without spending anything more than whatever change he could scrounge in the cushions.

* The Red Sox sat out free agency, unless you count the 5.12 ERA of Martin Perez, who could very quickly become their No. 2 starter if Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi don't stay healthy.

* They lost their manager to the fallout from MLB's sign-stealing fiasco, and then tried to convince us that Alex Cora nobly fired himself because that's what families do (gag).

* MLB's investigation into said sign-stealing meant that the team's record 108-win season and fourth World Series title since 2004 would now be called into question, regardless of the findings. The Red Sox nonetheless smugly asked us to withhold judgment.

* After a long winter of being battered by the tides, Betts was finally pushed to sea, shipped to the Dodgers alongside David Price in your classic big-market salary dump of an MVP in his prime. Wait, what?

* Of course, since nothing is easy, that three-team trade is now in limbo because of Graterol's shoulder. A source familiar with the deal still describes it as likely to happen — there's too much at stake for the Dodgers and Red Sox to let it die over the least-consequential player involved — but nothing can be finalized until the Red Sox and Twins sort this out.

* Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that he hopes to conclude his investigation by the start of camp, which is either Feb. 12 (pitchers and catchers) or Feb. 17 (full squad). As long as Roenicke isn't implicated, he will take the helm from Cora.

Whew. Got all that? Deep breath. Now we can turn our attention to the actual team on the field, a group that has received scant attention all winter, thanks to the rest of this garbage.

• Tomase: Price was never the right fit in Boston

A Red Sox squad hasn't opened camp with expectations this low during Henry's ownership tenure. Even clubs coming off last-place finishes like the 2015 team believed their fortunes could turn after signing the likes of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. This team can point to ... Jose Peraza? Kevin Plawecki? Chris Mazza?

It's enough to make you wonder exactly how they're supposed to contend in a division that saw the 103-win Yankees add ace Gerrit Cole, the 96-win Rays maintain their young core, and the up-and-coming Jays add starters Tanner Roark and NL ERA champ Hyun-Jin Ryu to an exciting young offense that also now includes bounce-back candidate Travis Shaw.

Despite the presence of All-Stars like Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez, as well as All-Star-in-waiting Rafael Devers, 2020 has the makings of a lost season, and it hasn't even started.

Maybe the Red Sox will surprise us and overachieve, which is the best kind of team to watch. Or maybe Sale's elbow flares up again, they never adequately replace Betts, and Price wins 18 games in L.A. with a smile instead of a scowl.

In any event, farewell to a miserable offseason. May we never endure one like it again.

• Tomase: Betts trade stings now, but will pay off eventually