The Boston Red Sox acquired Tyler O'Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals last offseason in an effort to replace the outgoing Alex Verdugo, who was dealt to the New York Yankees. It's safe to say that swap worked out in Boston's favor, as O'Neill quickly became an integral part of the Red Sox lineup. Verdugo, on the other hand, is out of the Yankees' everyday lineup.
Successful sabotage from Craig Breslow.
Of course, New York remains comfortably ahead of Boston in the standings. The Red Sox have slowly but surely fallen out of the Wild Card race, while the Yankees appear destined for the No. 1 overall seed and a division crown. This season as a whole has been disappointing for Red Sox fans who expected a step forward after Chaim Bloom's departure.
With injuries abound on the pitching staff and myriad inconsistencies on the offensive front, O'Neill has been one of the few semi-consistent positives in Boston. It has not been a fully healthy campaign for O'Neill, who has appeared in 108 games to date, but he has been exceedingly productive when in the lineup.
Slashing .247/.341/.528 with 31 home runs and 61 RBI, O'Neill has been the most potent slugging threat on the Red Sox roster. He also happens to be an upcoming free agent. One might expect Boston to prioritize re-signing O'Neill, but the latest comments from Breslow suggest a far different strategy.
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Craig Breslow hints that Red Sox might not re-sign Tyler O'Neill in free agency
"We obviously have Tyler (O’Neill) right now," Breslow told WEEI, "but he’s earned the right to explore free agency, and the right handed power that plays so well at Fenway is going to be a massive hole that we’re going to need to figure out how to fix."
That is a stunningly unveiled statement from Breslow. He is basically ceding O'Neill to the open market, not-so-subtly hinting that O'Neill won't be back in Boston next season. Unless the Red Sox can locate a meaningful upgrade in left field, the only reason to let O'Neill walk is money. He's bound to get a nice long-term offer this winter and Boston, whether it's because of his injury history or their general stinginess, may not compete financially.
That's a bummer. The Red Sox are a marquee franchise in one of the great U.S. sports cities. You'd think they could spare the expense for such a dynamic offensive weapon, especially since O'Neill is outright begging to remain in Boston.
"I really hope Boston (takes) interest in me," the slugging outfield told NESN. "I've made a lot of good relationships and friendships here, really enjoyed the city."
What are we doing here? O'Neill is the rare right-handed power bat to absolutely flourish in Fenway Park. He has been a leader in the offense, he's in the middle of his prime, and the Red Sox don't have a clear avenue to replacing him. O'Neill is sure to test the market, but he wants to stay in Boston. If there isn't an earnest effort made to retain his services this winter, that will reflect extremely poorly on Breslow, the entire front office, and Boston ownership. Most of these free agent decisions, especially the pricier variety, are invariably an indictment on those at the very top of the pyramid.
There's still hope for Boston fans, but Breslow is not making much of an effort to conceal the fact that O'Neill could being the 2025 campaign in a new uniform.