It’s not exactly shocking that Red Sox slugger, a breakout star last season thanks to baseball operations head Craig Breslow, is leaving the team. What stings for Boston, though, is that He will now be swinging for one of their biggest rivals moving forward: the Orioles.
Last season, O’Neill hit .241 with a team-leading 31 home runs, marking a strong comeback after falling out of favor in St. Louis before landing in Boston. As the only true right-handed power bat in the Red Sox lineup, He was a key piece of their offense, with Rafael Devers trailing him at 28 homers.
His departure leaves a significant void in right field, one the Red Sox hope to address by pursuing high-profile free agent Juan Soto. While Boston has been holding its own in the bidding war for the Yankees star, landing Soto still feels like a long shot.
If Soto doesn’t pan out, the team’s top alternative is Dodgers standout Teoscar Hernandez, though prying him from Los Angeles won’t be easy. Retaining O’Neill was on the table as well, but that’s no longer an option with reports indicating he’s set to sign a $49.5 million deal with Baltimore.
Red Sox’s Tyler O’Neill Was a Steal
The Red Sox pulled off a bargain with O’Neill. In a December 2023 trade with St. Louis, they acquired him in exchange for pitching prospect Victor Santos and veteran Nick Robertson. The deal heavily favored Boston, as both Santos and Robertson struggled at Triple-A Memphis, with Robertson also failing to impress in the majors this year.
O’Neill, who broke out in 2021 with 34 home runs and a Gold Glove, saw his performance dip over the past two seasons in St. Louis due to recurring injuries, particularly to his back and hamstring. He managed just 96 games in 2022 and 72 in 2023.
In Boston, injury troubles persisted, limiting him to 113 games. This, combined with the team’s interest in pursuing Juan Soto, made the Red Sox hesitant to commit to O’Neill for the long term. However, the Soto deal remains unresolved.
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