2020 Red Sox (24-36)
The first MLB season delayed over something other than a strike or a lockout, the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out over three and a half months of baseball in 2020. After tense negotiations in which players and owners fought over prorated salaries, the 60-game season was scheduled to begin in late July. There would be no fans for the entirety of the regular season, and MLB implemented rules such as 7-inning doubleheaders, a universal DH, and a ghost runner starting on second base in extra innings.
The 2020 Red Sox season, much like the year as a whole, was an unequivocal disaster. The pitching staff was barely major-league caliber, as their 5.58 ERA ranked 14th in the American League. Nine different players who pitched at least ten innings had an ERA over 5.50.
The offense had their individual standouts, such as Rafael Devers, who ranked fourth in the AL with 43 RBIs, and Xander Bogaerts and Alex Verdugo, who each hit over .300. Yet a down season from J.D Martinez (.213/.291/.389) held back the offense, and it was not nearly good enough to overcome one of the worst pitching staff in the league.
The good news is that the Red Sox earned the fourth pick in the draft, picked high school phenom Marcelo Mayer, and were right back to contending in 2021.