For the third straight season, Manager Alex Cora’s Boston Red Sox will miss the playoffs, thanks in large part to a dreadful second half. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

The final week of the major league season began Monday with three teams competing for the final American League wild-card spot.

The Twins, Tigers and Mariners all have issues, but all entered play Monday ahead of the Red Sox in the wild-card standings. One of those teams – perhaps two, if the Royals continue to slide – will play next week in the postseason.

The Red Sox could have been a playoff team. They had ample opportunities to force their way back into the race, but again struggled down the stretch.

Instead, Boston will play out the string against the Blue Jays and Rays. The Sox will try to finish ahead of both clubs in the AL East, as well as finish above .500 for the first time since 2021.  These are the small things left to play for after going 25-35 since the All-Star break.

Late-season struggles again bit Boston. Over the last three seasons the Red Sox have gone a dismal 70-83 after Aug. 1.  Not surprisingly they failed to make the playoffs in each of those three seasons.

The end of this year’s hopes came slowly, stretched out by the competition’s inability to put together a run. Detroit is the only club that got hot when it mattered, forcing itself into the race by going 27-11 since Aug. 10.

That has to be particularly bothersome to the Red Sox. The Tigers were in sell mode at the trade deadline and made moves for the future. They dealt away Jack Flaherty, Andrew Chafin, Carson Kelly and Mark Canha, and received six minor leaguers as part of the return.

The Red Sox went the other way, moving 10 prospects before the deadline in an effort to be better this season. It didn’t work.

Lucas Sims was one of the pitchers the Red Sox acquired at the trade deadline when looking for relief help. Sims struggled and ended up on the injured list. Terrance Williams/Associated Press

Luis Garcia and Lucas Sims were supposed to solidify a bullpen struggling by the end of July. Instead, both added to the struggles before being placed on the injured list. Two of the three minor leaguers traded for Garcia are already up with the Angels, getting major league experience.

Would the Sox be in a better position if they hadn’t traded those prospects? Could pitchers Zach Penrod and Luis Guerrero, who have yet to give up a run in a combined nine appearances with Boston, have helped this team sooner?

We’ll never know. We do know the Red Sox are competing to avoid a third straight losing season – something that has happened only once since the Impossible Dream season of 1967.

“It’s been three years in a row that we played good until one point, and then after that we struggled, you know?” Manager Alex Cora said on WEEI radio last week.  “We haven’t finished seasons.”

Instead this season will finish Sunday with the Sox on the outside looking in. Again. They were done in by their own flaws, and can only watch the playoff party from home.

Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN.