Red Sox fans will love Tyler O'Neill's comments on upcoming free agency

After Tyler O'Neill walked off the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 11 to keep the Boston Red Sox's playoff hopes alive, he emphasized how much he loves playing in a Sox uniform.

"Playing in Boston, September, meaningful baseball, it's a dream come true," O'Neill said in the postgame interview with NESN's Jahmai Webster.

O'Neill has since doubled down on his love for the city of Boston. He's an impending free agent, and he hasn't been shy about his hopes to play for the Red Sox next season.

"I really hope Boston [takes] interest in me... I've made a lot of good relationships and friendships here, really enjoyed the city," he said to Webster.

"Boston has definitely been one of my favorite places to play, and I've said that even when I was a visiting player coming into the Fenway ballpark."

Impending free agent Tyler O'Neill wants to stay with the Red Sox

O'Neill's breakout season has been one of the biggest surprises of Boston's campaign. He's posted a .249/.343/.532 slash line with a .875 OPS over 107 games, the most he's played since his MVP-nominated season in 2021. His 31 homers lead the team, and he's logged 18 doubles and 61 RBI to go along with them.

O'Neill is one of the Sox's rare righty batters and his profile is perfectly suited to Fenway Park. Boston expects to be short on right-handed power next season, as it was this year, but O'Neill may not have a spot on the 2025 squad. Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Rob Refsnyder, if he doesn't choose to retire, will all need spots in the outfield next season, and Masataka Yoshida seems primed to remain the everyday designated hitter.

If the Red Sox can find a spot for O'Neill, they should bring him back next season. His righty bat has brought some of the power they need and he's played solid defense in the outfield alongside Boston's other standout defenders.

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