As the Boston Red Sox pursued Juan Soto early in the offseason, their 2024 home run leader fell by the wayside.
There was mutual interest in a potential return to Boston for outfielder Tyler O'Neill, who deeply enjoyed his time in a Red Sox uniform. Fenway Park was his best friend, and it helped him post 31 homers last year, his most since he hit 34 in the 2021 season when he received MVP votes.
O'Neill signed a three-year, $49.5 million contract with the Orioles in December, quite the deal for someone who played just 113 games the season before. He discussed his new deal in the American League East with Rob Bradford of WEEI and the host of the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast.
"Now, when it came down to it, I’m very thankful that I signed ahead of my market. Obviously, myself and a lot of guys were waiting for Soto to go, and I was holding up everything, but the Orioles came to me before that all started working. And it was a strong offer; it was within my ballpark, they gave me multiple years, and I’m happy with where I’m at,” O'Neill said.
A Tyler O’Neill conversation https://t.co/ghEORtEKqz pic.twitter.com/c9W2x4UMxr
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) March 3, 2025
Since there was mutual interest in a reunion with O'Neill in Boston, the Red Sox may have planned to pivot to him after they (inevitably) lost out on Soto. But, in true division rival fashion, the Orioles signed him before the Sox even had time to consider their backup plans.
O'Neill has plenty of reasons to be happy in Baltimore. Like the Red Sox, the Orioles are an up-and-coming team with tons of young talent and O'Neill immediately became a veteran presence on the squad. After Anthony Santander's departure to Toronto over the winter, he may jump into his everyday outfield spot and role as home run leader.
And hit home runs, he surely will. Before the 2022 season, Baltimore pushed its formerly short left field wall back to 398 feet at its deepest point, which dramatically cut down on the number of homers hit at Oriole Park. The team pulled it back in for the 2025 season, with the deepest parts being 376 feet. O'Neill can clear that easily, and he said the change in dimensions is one of the reasons he chose to sign with the Orioles.
Hopefully, O'Neill doesn't take to Camden Yards' new dimensions too well. He should fit in nicely in the Orioles' lineup, but it would hurt to see him become a Red Sox killer just one year after he led the team in homers.