Red Sox’s Surging Former MVP Candidate Tabbed Among Top ‘Trade Chips’

Getty Red Sox OF Tyler O’Neill (middle)

In his last five games, Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill is batting a measly .177, with just three hits in 17 at-bats. Sure, two of those hits have been home runs, but still, it’s clearly time for Boston to consider running him out of town with a trade.

All right, that is a bit extreme. O’Neill has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, not just for the Red Sox but in all of MLB, as he is hitting .308 with a league-leading six homers and a 1.229 OPS, which is also tops in the league. With Jarren Duran playing well in left field and Cedanne Rafaela having seized the center field job, O’Neill’s performance in right has given the Red Sox a solid trio for the first time in years.

But it’s also fair to consider that O’Neill is on a one-year deal and is off to a career-best start. As the season progresses, if some of the realities of the Red Sox’s performance from the past week—a discouraging sweep at the hands of the Orioles—persist, then it would be realistic to consider O’Neill a potential trade candidate over the summer.

Tyler O’Neill an ‘Honorable Mention’ as a Trade Piece

That’s the gist coming from a list of the top potential trade chips in MLB this year, from Zack Rymer of Bleacher Report in an article called (obviously), “The 10 Best MLB Trade Chips For 2024 Season.” He did not have O’Neill as a fit among the Top 10 trade pieces, but he certainly did get an honorable mention.

Also on the list was Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson, who has been out with a shoulder injury. The trade of O’Neill appeared to open up more playing time for Carlson, but he is still a potential trade candidate, too. As Rymer wrote:

“Except for Carlson, whose club control runs through 2026, everyone here is only signed through the end of this season and thus positioned to be a rental on the trade market.”

That includes O’Neill, whose excellent start does not necessarily mean he is a long-term option for the Red Sox. The team is at least giving Duran the right to keep the job in left, and there is the potential that O’Neill could be signed to a long-term deal after this season.

But the team still wants Wilyer Abreu, even with his .190 average to start the season, to be the long-term right fielder. Abreu is 24 and his .316 in 85 plate appearances last season.

Red Sox Hoping for Continued Health

The Red Sox gave up pitching prospect Victor Santos and veteran Nick Robertson in a December 2023 trade with St. Louis for O’Neill, and there’s no doubt they won the deal to this point—both Santos and Robertson are struggling in Triple-A Memphis.

O’Neill had a breakout year back in 2021 when he hit 34 home runs and was a Gold Glove winner in the outfield. He was also eighth in N.L. MVP balloting that year. But he was knocked back each of the past two seasons in St. Louis because of a long spate of injuries, mostly to his back and hamstring. He played 72 games last year and 96 the previous season.

But everything has held up nicely for O’Neill thus far.

“It’s going really good so far,” O’Neill said, per MassLive. “When I first got into spring training and started meeting the guys in person, staff, teammates communications, even media, everyone’s been awesome to me which is really cool to see. I’ve been thankful for the fresh start. I feel like I fit in really well over here. Hopefully we continue this trend forward for a long while. I like the spot I’m in right now a lot.”