Red Sox Trade For Tyler O'Neill (12/8/23)

Okay....didn't see THAT one coming. With the trade of Alex Verdugo and the departures of Adam Duvall and Justin Turner, the Boston Red Sox outfield was looking a bit thin. Yes they still had Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida but they didn't have that "veteran" presence that Duvall and Turner brought, until now. Last night Sox GM Chaim Bloom traded minor league right handed pitcher Victor Santos and Sox reliever Nick Robertson to the St. Louis Cardinals for the jacked up outfielder Tyler O'Neill.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

So who did the Sox give up? Robertson was the centerpiece of the Kike Hernandez trade this past season and naturally he allowed 9 runs in 12 innings when he got to Boston. Santos was considered a steal when ex-Sox GM Chaim Bloom traded CJ Chatam for him in July of 2021 going 4-2 in 8 starts with a 2.58 ERA down the stretch in Portland. He just hasn't developed since, putting mediocre numbers in Portland & Worcester in 2022 and not pitching at all in 2023 due to injury. The trades for Greg Weissert and Justin Slaten made Robertson expendable and getting Rich Fitts signaled the end for Santos. Good luck in St. Louis to both.

                                                             Bye bye Robertson & Santos

Now the question is, who did they get? Right handed hitting Tyler O'Neill is the modern day Gabe Kapler, backup outfielder with a bodybuilder physique. He had a breakout year in 2021 slamming 34 home runs, driving in 80 while hitting .286 but regressed after that. He's hit just 33 home runs since and hit .228 in 22 and .231 in 23. 

                                                           Gabe Kapler 2.0

The rumor is they're going to shift Yoshida to DH and need someone to take his spot in left, which is where O'Neill had been playing for the Cardinals. The drawbacks are not only did he regress in the last two seasons but he too, like Verdugo, clashed with his manager Oliver Marmol in St. Louis. Why Breslow would trade a headache and then trade for another headache is a headscratcher indeed. Still, he's only making about $5 million which is half of what Verdugo was making and less than both Duvall & Turner. Why is that significant? The Sox unloaded enough aging talent to possibly sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto and getting O'Neill at least fills the holes left by Duvall, Turner & Verdugo. Hopefully it all works out, otherwise, all you're stuck with is another headcase that puts up half the numbers Verdugo did. God help us!