Trade or Extend: Red Sox have tough deadline decision looming

The Boston Red Sox made one of the sneaky best moves in the offseason in acquiring Tyler O'Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals. They bought low on him after the outfielder had some issues with Cardinals management and the situation was no longer tenable. Early on, it's proven to have been a win for Boston.

Despite missing a few games due to a stint on the concussion IL, O'Neill still leads the team in homers, with 11, and is third on the team in OPS+ with a 136 mark. He also notably set the Major League record on Opening Day, with his fifth straight Opening Day homer.

O'Neill has been a big reason the Red Sox are currently in third place in the AL East, despite the offense missing players like Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida. However, as usual, the AL East is a difficult division. Even though they're in third place, they're just a game over .500 going into Saturday's action, so they're going to have to fight for a Wild Card spot.

That puts them in an interesting situation when it comes to O'Neill. He is an upcoming free agent, so they will have a decision to make when it comes to the trade deadline. Will they shop him and sell high to a team looking for a rental bat, try to extend him, or risk him walking in free agency?

What should the Red Sox do about O'Neill?

It seems that the 29-year-old has enjoyed his time in Boston, saying in part "I'm loving it here." Those comments seem like a good stating point in extension talks. It's hard to tell what the market for O'Neill's contract would be, because despite his hot start, he has struggled with injuries in the past.

We've seen what he's capable of when he plays an entire season, as in 2021 he hit over 30 home runs and won a Gold Glove in St. Louis. They have the ability to get extension talks started at any point, and there's nothing wrong with keeping your best right-handed power bat around.

However, it is extremely possible that Boston decides to sell him at the deadline. After buying low on him in the offseason, they could turn around and sell high if he continues to stay healthy and hitting like he is. He would be a rental bat for any team looking to acquire him, but we see teams year in and year out pay for power at the deadline.

There has been no news on any extension talks between the two camps, and it's possible that O'Neill could want to test free agency for the first time in his career. If they do trade him, they do have exciting prospects that could replace him. Roman Anthony is a prospect that a lot of scouts are excited about, and is currently their second-ranked prospect.

What Boston decides to do will likely depend on where they stand in the Wild Card race come July.