The Boston Red Sox are primed to have quite a busy and expensive winter. They’re still top candidates to sign New York Yankees free agent Juan Soto, with rumors indicating that Boston has a $600-plus million deal on the table for the outfielder.
Boston is also involved in the Corbin Burnes sweepstakes as it looks to steal the ace from the Baltimore Orioles. But before Boston could steal a player from Baltimore, the Orioles have picked away at the Red Sox’s free agents.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Red Sox free agent outfielder Tyler O’Neill has agreed to terms on a deal with the Orioles. The deal is reportedly a three-year contract worth $49.5 million with an opt-out after the 2025 season.
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O’Neill, 29, slashed .241/.336/.511 with 31 home runs,18 doubles, and a 2.6 WAR. The right-handed outfielder specifically crushes left-handed pitching. In 156 plate appearances against lefties in 2024, O’Neill slashed .313/.430/.750 with 16 home runs and a 174 OPS+.
O’Neill takes the role Baltimore was likely looking to fill with Austin Slater last season, though Slater was a major letdown.
The ceiling on this signing is massive for the Orioles. If O’Neill is able to perform as well as he could, Baltimore may have just gotten a 5.0 WAR player for less than $20 million a season.
Now that Boston has lost a player to the Orioles, it may be looking for a bit of payback which could come in a massive signing of Burnes. Only time will tell for the Red Sox.
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