Cardinals rumors: Manoah connection grows, reunion with ace is not player's priority, obvious trade piece available
- The Cardinals are open to trading Tyler O'Neill, in a not-so-shocking development
- One former Cardinals ace doesn't seem to love the idea of a possible St. Louis return
- The Cardinals have been named as possible suitors for one starting pitching target that could be a huge mistake
By Josh Wilson
Tyler O'Neill is on the trade market... Was he ever off?
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that the St. Louis Cardinals will entertain offers on outfielder Tyler O'Neill, a player largely thought to be available at the 2023 MLB trade deadline.
Here's the excerpt from Goold's article:
The Cardinals are open to dealing from their outfielder and infielder depth to acquire pitching and streamline their major league roster. Trades could bring clarity to their outfield, for example. They are going to entertain offers for Gold Glove winner Tyler O’Neill, multiple sources said. A few teams, including Toronto, have asked about Dylan Carlson, according to another source. The Yankees are shopping for two outfielders and want to add some “left-handed balance” to the lineup, general manager Brian Cashman said. Multiple sources said the Yankees see the Cardinals as a fit for trade talks involving Alec Burleson or Brendan Donovan.
This isn't new... It's the same thing we heard in October and confirms what the baseball world thought in July: O'Neill's time with the Cardinals is likely coming up on its end.
O'Neill's career track has been roller coaster-esque. With the Cardinals since 2018, he's played in over 100 games in a given season just once. That lone season of consistent availability also proved to be his best, where he finished eighth in MVP voting along with his second-straight Gold Glove award. He put forth a 148 OPS+ but fell below the average mark of 100 to 99 in 2022 and 94 in 2023.
Most frustrating is the lack of availability, though, as O'Neill has dealt with injury after injury throughout his MLB career. O'Neill is a free agent after this season, though it's definitely worth asking whether or not he ends up still in St. Louis to close his contract year.