The Boston Red Sox began the season with muted expectations. Craig Breslow's first free agency period was relatively uneventful. Most major changes were facilitated via trade, with Chris Sale going to the Braves and Alex Verdugo going to the Yankees. To replace the latter, Boston acquired Tyler O'Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals. A trade that was acknowledged and largely swept under the rug.
Well, time to pick up the rug and collect the dust. Because, good lord, O'Neill has been awesome since his arrival in Boston. After six good-not-great seasons in St. Louis, O'Neill has elevated his performance to a whole new level in Beantown. He's slashing .329/.447/.729 with nine home runs and 12 RBI in 70 AB, with 13 walks. He leads the American League in slugging and on-base percentage.
Short story short, O'Neill has been the best hitter in the AL through a month. Maybe that won't hold, but it's hard to deny the combination of power and precision with which O'Neill is currently swinging the bat. He hasn't just replaced Verdugo, he has completely revamped the Red Sox offense.
Now, it's time to think about the future. O'Neill is making $5.85 million this season after avoiding arbitration. That is comically low relative to his current production, but thankfully (for O'Neill), his career-best production happens to coincide with his upcoming free agency. Somebody is going to drop a bag for O'Neill. Boston needs to make sure it's them.
The latest comments from O'Neill on Sunday Night Baseball only reinforce why the Red Sox need to hammer out a new deal before it's too late. He should never reach the open market.
"I’m loving it here. I love playing in this ballpark a lot. I fit into this team, I feel. I’m just trying to do my part out there. Not trying to get too big or anything."
Tyler O'Neill loves Boston, and the Red Sox need to make sure he stays there
Boston has to maintain the long view, of course. We are one month into the season — it's probably wise to see how well O'Neill sustains his output as the campaign progresses. That said, at 28 years old, O'Neill is a two-time Gold Glove winner who has found his swing. He's smack in the middle of his prime window and the Red Sox can't get too cute with the gold they've unearthed. If Boston plays hardball or gets finicky, O'Neill will leave. Again, he is going to get paid.
The Red Sox are 16-13 as of this writing, which places third in the highly competitive AL East behind New York (19-10) and Baltimore (17-10). The falloff from Toronto and Tampa Bay has opened the door for Boston to sneak in the postseason race. It's still early, but the Red Sox have been blessed with shockingly competent pitching and the hottest bat in baseball. Anything is possible.
O'Neill comes with his share of long-term concerns — he has played more than 100 games once in six full MLB seasons — but the production right now is off the charts. If he keeps it up, the Red Sox won't have much of a choice but to throw a lot of money in his direction. Rest assured that the fanbase will apply ample pressure on the front office to get a deal across the finish line.