Craig Breslow’s Red Sox tenure is off to an incredible start, and perhaps his most impactful move was one of his first. In December 2023, amidst a flurry of moves, the recently hired President of Baseball Operations traded a couple of pitchers to St. Louis for Tyler O’Neill. Breslow’s transaction log is a fun one to track, and the O’Neill trade is his zenith so far.
O’Neill is posting offensive numbers that are eerily similar to his 2021 season, when he finished 8th in the NL MVP race. Crucially, O’Neill is crushing left-handed pitchers. His 1.086 OPS and .350 ISO (a statistic that measures a batter’s raw power) against LHPs are both ranked 8th amongst all MLB players.
O’Neill does not square the ball up very often (as evidenced by his 31.9% strikeout percentage), but when he does he absolutely pulverizes it. His average bat speed is 75.2mph, the highest mark on the Red Sox and 19th in all of baseball. His 465ft home run on July 23rd was one of the farthest hit balls of the season, and his average home run length of 409ft is in the upper echelon of the league. When O’Neill stays on the field, he is one of the most intimidating players in the league.
If Breslow were to lock up O’Neill for the next 2-3 years, it would be largely a bet on the health of a soon to be 30-year-old with a rash of injuries in his past. That being said, his 80 games played thus far are the 3rd most of his career, so he is trending in the right direction. Defensively, his overall numbers are subpar and much lower than they used to be. However, his arm strength from the outfield is still there and his UZR in both left and right field are both top marks for the Sox.
Bleacher Report predicted a 3 year deal for $45 million for O’Neill, a player who said his preference would be to stay in Boston. This would be a sensible deal, and could be a great stop-gap for the Red Sox until they are ready to deploy Roman Anthony in the outfield full time.