Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill belted his first home run in Grapefruit League play on March 5, giving Boston Red Sox fans a look at O’Neill’s power and leaving Cardinals fans wondering whether they’ll regret trading him in December.
“The Green Monster at Fenway Park should add a collection of new dents off the line-drive missiles coming from O’Neill And, of course, he can get enough loft on the ball to clear any left field wall or fence,” Forbes’ Bernie Pleskoff wrote in December about O’Neill’s “potentially consequential power bat.”
Cards president of baseball operations John Mozeliak acknowledged the risk they were taking when they traded O’Neill, 29, an oft-injured enigma, to the Red Sox for pitchers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos.
“Yeah, [O’Neill] will probably get MVP votes,” Mozeliak said, according to MLB.com’s John Denton. “There’s a saying, ‘If you don’t make mistakes [on trades], you’re probably not trying.’ Do we wish we batted 1.000 [on trades]? Of course, but we are human, and we do make mistakes.”
He has all the tools to succeed — boasting ridiculous strength, uncanny speed and two Gold Gloves. And the Red Sox say they like what they’ve seen in spring training.
“[Red Sox manager Alex] Cora said he’s been impressed by the 28-year-old, who has already demonstrated an elite first step and who he hopes can help address one of the club’s longest standing weaknesses — outfield decision-making,” according to Mac Cerullo in a February 26 story in The Boston Herald.
It Didn’t Work Out for Tyler O’Neill in St. Louis
In 2023, O’Neill battled injuries and engaged in a public spat with Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol in April that indicated a fractured relationship beyond repair. When he posted a .231 average with just 9 home runs and 21 RBI, just two years after hitting 34 home runs with 80 RBI and finishing eighth in voting for the National League MVP, it seemed the writing was on the wall that 2023 might be his last season wearing the Birds on the Bat.
O’Neill had expressed a desire to be an everyday player, but the Cardinals announced at the Winter Meetings that the team planned on a starting outfield of Lars Nootbaar, Tommy Edman and Jordan Walker.
“Mozeliak said O’Neill’s wishes to be an everyday player — which St. Louis also considered him to be — would not have allowed the Cardinals to get him the regular at-bats he was hoping for next season,” Denton wrote.
After appearing in 138 games in 2021, O’Neill missed considerable time in 2022 and 2023, appearing in just 96 and 72 games, respectively.
Oli Marmol after Tyler O’Neill ended up in an inning-ending out at home plate: “That’s not our style of play as far as the effort, rounding the bag there. It’s unacceptable. … It’s been addressed already.” #STLCards
A Fresh Start at Fenway
Entering 2024, Boston is counting on a big turnaround for O’Neill.
WBZ’s Matt Geagan wrote the Red Sox could envision O’Neill following in the footsteps of another power-hitting reclamation project.
“The Red Sox have had some success taking a flyer on outfielders the last few years,” Geagan wrote in December. “In 2021, the Sox got a huge season out of Hunter Renfroe, who hit 33 homers and drove in 96 runs for Boston. If the Red Sox can get the 2021 version of O’Neill, they’ll be getting a bargain.”
Surrounded by plenty of talent, he will see a lot of strikes. A healthy year could lead to an All-Star appearance for O’Neill as a member of the BoSox.
That’s what’s likely on the mind of O’Neill, as well. The son of former Mr. Canada, Terry O’Neill, he’s no stranger to the weight room. He commented recently about the work he’s putting in, as he begins a fresh start with a new team.
“You live and you learn,” O’Neill told MLB.com in a February 27 story. “I can’t get away from the weight room. It’s who I am. It’s my identity. I need to be in there. It gets me right. It gets me going.”
“This is a really good move by the Red Sox… if he’s healthy he could hit 25-30 HR in that ballpark easily.” – @Plesac19
#MLBTonight reacts to the trade that will reportedly send Tyler O’Neill from St. Louis to Boston.
“As you get a little older, things have to be modified,” he said. “You can’t just go in there and lift heavy anymore like I used to. I have a good routine that gets me in a good alignment. It gets me ready for the day every day now.”
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Rebound for Tyler O’Neill Could Leave St. Louis Cardinals Regretting Trade