Report: Former Red Sox OF Tyler O’Neill signing three-year deal with Orioles
Tyler O’Neill is reportedly on his way out after one season in Boston.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, O’Neill has agreed to a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The deal is worth an average of $16.5 million annually includes an opt out after the first year.
Tyler O’Neill to Baltimore. 3/49.5M. opt out after 2025.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 7, 2024
O’Neill spent one year with the Red Sox after being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals last winter in exchange for pitching prospects Nick Robertson and Victor Santos. A two-time Gold Glove winner, O’Neill had battled injuries throughout his tenure with the Cardinals but had one standout season in 2021 in which he hit 34 home runs, by far the highest total of his career.
Even with several more injury setbacks following his arrival, O’Neill’s time in Boston was largely a success.
Despite being limited to 113 games, O’Neill rediscovered his prodigious power and led the Red Sox with 31 home runs. His right-handed swing played perfectly with the Green Monster, and he enjoyed seven multi-homer games over the course of the season.
Now his bat will provide a boost for one of Boston’s AL East rivals, and the Red Sox will need to figure out a way to replace it.
Since the offseason began Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has called adding a right-handed power bat one of the club’s top priorities. The Red Sox technically do not need to worry about filling O’Neill’s corner outfield spot with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu all on the roster, but the expectation has long been Breslow will make some kind of move to shake things up and balance the heavily left-handed lineup, possibly including a deal involving one of the incumbent outfielders.
But regardless of how things play out, a reunion with O’Neill is no longer an option.
O’Neill is now the second of Boston’s eight free agents to sign with a new team, with catcher Danny Jansen reportedly agreeing to a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Right-handers Nick Pivetta, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia all remain unsigned, and left-hander James Paxton announced he plans to retire.