Cardinals rumors: End of road for Tyler O'Neill, Aaron Nola interest, Rangers robbery

Tyler O'Neill heads to IL, time with Cardinals heading for likely end

Tyler O'Neill appeared in 477 of a possible 972 Cardinals big league games from 2018 through 2023, a number that is sure to have solidified now that O'Neill has landed on the injured list. In a few years, his time with the Cardinals will bring up two words, "what if?"

What if his progress wasn't stifled by injuries?

What if the Cardinals were able to trade him before 2023 to help keep other aspects of their roster fortified?

Now, with O'Neill on the IL due to a right foot sprain, don't expect to see him play another game with the Cardinals this year. Perhaps, too, it'll be the end of his time with the Cardinals, period.

While O'Neill is under team control next season with an arbitration year, one has to think that as the Cardinals enter a pivotal, era-shifting offseason, there's a good chance they cut ties with O'Neill, in part because they have more reliable outfielders already on the roster.

Likely, they'll extend their trade deadline conversations around him and try to find a trade partner for him. The path to him getting back on the Cardinals roster is that his injury history dissuades teams from making offers. At this point, though, the Cardinals may be willing to offer him up for a relatively low bid.

As for what it means for O'Neill if that proves true, it's hard to say. His career has unfortunately been defined more by injuries than his incredible 2021 season at the plate where he slashed .286/.352/.560. After a 148 OPS+ that season, he fell to an average 100 and 95 in the two seasons after. That, in addition to his lack of availability, appears to have sealed his fate.

Surely, some team will see the potential in him getting back to that place and take a flier on him, but he won't quite get the earnings one might have envisioned for him coming off that season.