The Boston Red Sox took a risk ahead of the 2024 season by trading for St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill. It paid off quite well for them — he batted .241/.336/.511 with a .847 OPS, 18 doubles and a team-leading 31 homers.
A greater risk hasn't panned out as well for the division rival Baltimore Orioles. They signed O'Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal during the offseason, and he's played just 24 games so far this year. He's also posted some pretty rough results.
O'Neill is slashing .188/.280/.325 for a Baltimore team that is struggling severely. The Orioles' 15-30 record is one of the worst in MLB and gives them a firm hold on last place in the American League East. O'Neill has hit two home runs so far, and one of the highlights of Baltimore's season was his Opening Day bomb to extend his personal record of six consecutive Opening Days with a homer.
Not only has O'Neill failed to produce to his 2024 standard while he's on the field, but his injury woes have struck in full force. The Orioles on April 24 placed him on the injured list with neck inflammation, for which he missed 15 days of play. He was activated on May 9, but only lasted a week before another injury took over. Baltimore again placed him on the 10-day IL on May 18 with a shoulder impingement.
The Orioles messed up by signing 2024 Red Sox home run leader Tyler O'Neill
O'Neill's injury history is extensive, and he's played more than 100 games in a single season just twice in his eight-year career. One of those years was with the Red Sox in 2024, and they got quite lucky with the few injuries he had, which were mostly freak occurrences. He collided with Rafael Devers while attempting to make a play in left field and had to move to the IL with a concussion. Later in the season, he missed time with a leg infection.
Red Sox fans grew to love O'Neill as he crushed homers and flashed solid defense in the outfield. He hoped to reunite with Boston for another deal in 2025, and plenty of fans called for it themselves. Instead, the Red Sox pursued, and eventually whiffed on, Juan Soto, which allowed the Orioles to swoop in and sign O'Neill, to their detriment.
Boston's offense has been lackluster in the first stretch of 2025, but if his performance with Baltimore is any indication, O'Neill wouldn't have helped. He would've been another hurdle for Roman Anthony to jump to get reps in the Sox's outfield, and they're better off without the extra obstacle contributing to their outfield logjam.