The Boston Red Sox 2022 season was a pretty big disappointment. Aside from one hot stretch during the months of May and June, they looked lifeless for much of the season, and saw all the holes that the front office failed to address during the previous offseason pop up and kill them. The goal this offseason should be to not make the same mistakes made last offseason.

The Red Sox have a lot of questions they need to answer this offseason after failing to answer any of them last offseason. The two main ones involve star players Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers. Bogaerts will be opting out of his deal and testing free agency, while Devers is entering the third and final year of arbitration on his deal. Will either of these guys be locked up to long-term deals with Boston?

While these questions are obviously the two biggest ones facing Boston, they will need to make some noise in free agency after largely sitting it out last offseason. The good news is that they have a lot of cap space to work with, which should make them a serious player for some of the biggest names available. Let's take a look at three free agents the Red Sox should try to sign after missing out on the 2022 MLB Playoffs.

3. Carlos Rodon

Carlos Rodon was only a free agent last offseason, signing a two-year, $44 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. The deal was sort of a prove it deal for Rodon, who has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career. Teams were hesitant to give him the long-term deal he was looking for because of those injury concerns, leading him to sign this deal with the Giants.

Rodon can opt-out of his deal a year early, though, and likely will based on how good he was during the 2022 season. Rodon formed an effective one-two punch atop the Giants rotation with Logan Webb, and was arguably their best starter this season (14-8, 2.88 ERA, 237 K, 1.03 WHIP). Rodon also made 31 starts and pitched a career-high 178 innings, alleviating his injury concerns in the process.

Rodon will likely be one of the top pitchers available on the market considering he's right in his prime at 30 years old, and has proven he can be an ace who can actually stay healthy for a full season. The Red Sox starting rotation had its holes last season, and will potentially be losing Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha in free agency, so making a run for Rodon feels like a good idea here.

2. Edwin Diaz

Edwin Diaz's 2021 season wasn't his best campaign, but he was able to respond in 2022 and cement himself as one of the best closers in the MLB right before he hits free agency. Diaz was electric for the New York Mets this season, and should have a robust free agent market considering he is the best relief pitcher available this offseason.

Diaz was unreal this season for the Mets. He finished with a 3-1 record, a miniscule 1.31 ERA, 32 saves, 118 strikeouts, and a 0.84 WHIP, all over 62 innings of work. There were a lot of good closers around the MLB this season, but it's tough to find anyone who was as effective as Diaz.

For the Red Sox, their case to sign Diaz is simple; they didn't have a closer this season, and it burned them. The front office foolishly failed to address the position to start the season, and it resulted in a desolate bullpen all season long. Adding Diaz would give the pen some stability, while also giving the Sox one of the best closers in the game for the foreseeable future.

1. Aaron Judge

It would be unfathomable to see Aaron Judge end up in a Red Sox uniform; just the thought of it probably makes New York Yankees fans sick to their stomachs. But Boston has money and a big hole in their outfield that could be filled by none other than Judge. He's the best free agent on the market after his outrageous 2022 season, and it would be foolish for any team to pass up an opportunity to add him to their roster.

By now, Judge's hitting exploits during the 2022 season are common knowledge in MLB circles. Judge led the majors in several different hitting categories, and his final line on the season (.311 BA, 62 HR, 131 RBI, 1.111 OPS) will go down as one of the best hitting seasons in the history of the league.

Judge is in line for a massive new deal considering he put together arguably the greatest contract year of all time. Boston has to figure out what to do with Bogaerts and Devers first, but if they can't make anything happen there, they need to make a run for Judge. They have the money to do so, and where there's a will, there's a way. It may not be very likely, but the Red Sox would be foolish to not make a push for Judge in free agency.