No doubt, the Red Sox unearthed a gem when they traded for outfielder Tyler O’Neill last winter. Having struggled to stay healthy the last two seasons, O’Neill was on the outs with the Cardinals and clearly needed a change of scenery. The change has worked out nicely for O’Neill, the lone righty slugger in a lefty-dominant lineup. He is batting a career-high .268 with 22 home runs, and an OPS of .900.
It’s hard to say where the Red Sox would be without his production, especially considering the team’s expected No. 3 and 4 hitters—Trevor Story and Tristan Casas—have been out for most of the year with injuries. O’Neill, a two-time Gold Glove winner, has settled in nicely as the team’s right fielder.
He is, however, a free agent after this season and, as good as he has been in Boston, he could well be a short-termer. The ideal Red Sox outfield going forward is probably Ceddanne Rafaela in center, Jaren Duren in left and Wilyer Abreu in right, with top prospect Roman Anthony expected to challenge for a spot, too.
If that’s the case, it would be hard to find a spot for O’Neill. Still, the way he has hit, it would be hard to let him go.
And at Bleacher Report this week, they’re predicting that the Red Sox will not, in fact let O’Neill walk in free agency but will, rather, sign him to a three-year, $45 million contract.
Tyler O’Neill Has Earned a ‘Jorge Soler-Like’ Contract
That is from analyst Zachary Rymer, who, in an article titled, “Way-Too-Early MLB Free-Agency Predictions Post-2024 Trade Deadline,” writes that the Red Sox can’t afford to lose O’Neill.
Rymer wrote: “Since coming off a stint on the IL with knee inflammation on June 5, the slugger has cranked 11 home runs and posted a .955 OPS over 37 games. Among Boston Red Sox hitters, he’s second to Rafael Devers in home runs and runs batted in…
“The 5’11”, 200-pounder is legitimately crushing the ball, notably by way of a barrel rate in the 95th percentile. At the least, he’ll be a top option for teams in need of power…. The Red Sox can ill afford to lose him.
“They would be perilously short on right-handed oomph without him, and it’s unsurprising that Fenway Park has been a great fit for his swing. A reunion should be in order, and it should be doable at a Jorge Soler-like rate.”
Red Sox Trade Was a Steal
The O’Neill deal ranks at the top of the list of transactions from new baseball chief Craig Breslow. 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 to this point—both Santos and Robertson have struggled at Triple-A Memphis, and Robertson has not been 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 has had minor setbacks on the injury front for Boston, but has appeared in 80 games.
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