The Boston Red Sox didn't make a ton of splash moves last offseason, but trading Nick Robertson and Victor Santos to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Tyler O'Neill has been their best decision.
The 29-year-old has appeared in 101 games for Boston this season (his second-most games played in a season in his career) and has hit .258 with an .895 OPS, 30 home runs, 59 RBIs and four stolen bases.
On Wednesday, O'Neill hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to walk off the Baltimore Orioles.
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Earlier in the week, he expressed an interest in staying with Boston despite the slugger hitting free agency this offseason.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time in Boston,” O’Neill said (via. MassLive). “To be able to play in this ballpark and call it home, I think I fit in really well here. Hopefully, something happens. But we’ll see. It’s my first time going into this process so I don’t know what to expect.”
O'Neill's injury history is a problem that needs to be considered. He missed some time, but some of that was due to a head injury he suffered from a collision with third baseman Rafael Devers earlier in the season and dealt with a leg infection, these aren't exactly injuries that should be recurring.
Boston also has a lot of young players coming up who will need playing time, and bringing back O'Neill could prevent the Red Sox from either playing one of those young players or signing another free agent who could be even more impactful.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will have a lot to consider when it comes to O'Neill's future, but it's good to know the former Cardinal is interested in returning for another season.
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