It’s not entirely surprising, of course, that Red Sox slugger Tyler O’Neill, who was a steal last season for baseball operations head Craig Breslow, is leaving the team. But what does sting for the Beantowners is that O’Neill will now be doing his slugging for one of the Red Sox’s top rivals, now and in the future: the Orioles.
O’Neill hit .241 last year and led the team with 31 home runs, a nifty return to form for a player who had worn out his welcome in St. Louis before arriving in Boston. O’Neill was the lone power righty in the Boston lineup and, it could be argued, one of the few power bats the Red Sox had. Rafael Devers was second on the team in homers with 28.
O’Neill will leave a hole in right field, one that the Red Sox are hoping to fill with a well-known free-agent by the name of Juan Soto. The competition for Soto is stiff, and though the Red Sox appear to be holding their own in the bidding for the Yankees star, it still feels like a longshot that he’d actually come to Boston.
The Red Sox’s top fallback option in case they lose Soto is Dodgers star Teoscar Hernandez, who will be difficult to pry from L.A. Bringing back O’Neill was an option, too, but that’s now off the table. Reports say O’Neill will get a $49.5 million deal.
Red Sox’s Tyler O’Neill Was a Steal
O’Neill was a steal. The Red Sox gave up pitching prospect Victor Santos and veteran Nick Robertson in a December 2023 trade with St. Louis for O’Neill, and there’s no doubt they won the deal—both Santos and Robertson struggled at Triple-A Memphis, and Robertson was not much better in the big leagues this year.
O’Neill had a breakout year back in 2021 when he hit 34 home runs and was a Gold Glove winner in the outfield. But he was knocked back each of the past two seasons in St. Louis because of a long spate of injuries, mostly to his back and hamstring. He played 72 games last year and 96 the previous season.
He had setbacks on the injury front for Boston, too, and played 113 games. That was one reason the Red Sox were wary of bringing him back.
The pursuit of Soto was another. That one, though, is still pending.
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Red Sox Top Slugger Bolts for $49.5 Million Contract With AL East Rival