Tyler O’Neill is staying in the American League East.
The former Boston Red Sox outfielder has agreed to a three-year, $49.5 million deal, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The deal reportedly includes an opt-out after the first season.
The deal rewards a resurgent season for the former St. Louis Cardinals standout, who had a career year in 2021 but struggled to replicate that form until last year. In 2021, O’Neill finished eighth in MVP voting and won a Gold Glove while hitting .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs. He hit only .229/.310/.397 in the next two seasons, leading to a change-of-scenery trade to Boston.
O’Neill didn’t quite reproduce his 2021 numbers, but he made a good enough impression to land a multi-year deal in free agency. His playing style is still characterized by high risk, high reward at the plate. His peripherals are some of the worst of any MLB regulars when it comes to strikeouts and whiffs, but he makes hard contact any time he touches the ball and can draw a walk.
All of that makes O’Neill a natural replacement for Anthony Santander, a hitter with a similar profile who won a Silver Slugger in right field for the Orioles. Santander remains a free agent and is almost certainly not coming back now.
Baltimore also still has more on its to-do list after a somewhat disappointing 91-win season. Its 2024 ace, Corbin Burnes, remains a free agent, and the team is looking to either re-sign or replace him atop the rotation. Neither option will be cheap, but it won’t be as expensive as what the Red Sox are trying to do at corner outfield with O’Neill on the way out.