Despite that, RR was 248/365/317 overall. He is somewhat useful but I don’t think his roster spot is guaranteed, there’s just no power and so bad against RH.
Tyler O’Neill acquired by Red Sox
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
I’m not a big fan of his but if they play him in RF (not waste the defense) and the head is on straight and most importantly they keep Rafaela, it’s not a bad move.
But this probably means they have to move (or not resign the latter) 1 of Duran/Yoshida/Turner, no?
But this probably means they have to move (or not resign the latter) 1 of Duran/Yoshida/Turner, no?
Why do people think this means we need to move on from an OF? They are already down Verdugo and Duvall. DH is open. That leaves O’Neill, Rafaela, Duran, Yoshida and Abreu, and I guess Refsnyder in the mix? But, there’s the potential to play Rafaela elsewhere too. I would kind of expect them to add at least one more OF/DH type.
I guess it all depends if Rafaela plays CF or SS (and if Turner is resigned for DH to force Yoshi into LF)
He’s also an insurance policy for Rafaela. If Rafaela can’t hit and needs to get sent down they need someone else who is a plus fielding OF on the roster.
Eh, yes & no. It only really shifts that much if you plan on using Rafaela in the infield or Refsnyder as the backup 1B. Turner was the DH, but he was also the backup 1B.
Even without a full time DH, that leaves 5 spots for a back-up catcher, a back up MI, a back up CI & 2 OF, not 3.
View: https://twitter.com/Jared_Carrabis/status/1733253411770974255
I kinda like both guys we traded, but it's a good bit of business turning a guy we just re-signed as a MLFA (& originally got in a trade from the Phillies for CJ Chatham) & a guy who was about 2/3 of the return for half a season of Kiké, into a guy who put up a 6.1 bWAR season 2 years ago & is 28.
I kinda like both guys we traded, but it's a good bit of business turning a guy we just re-signed as a MLFA (& originally got in a trade from the Phillies for CJ Chatham) & a guy who was about 2/3 of the return for half a season of Kiké, into a guy who put up a 6.1 bWAR season 2 years ago & is 28.
This allows Rafaela to start the year in AAA to continue his development which is a good thing.
I think Breslow said (at some point in the last few weeks) that they prefer Yoshida in left rather than DH, and that Rafaela isn’t being considered for 2B. I’ll try to find it.
Maybe that’s posturing, who knows. And maybe Duran’s toe surgery recovery takes longer than we realize.
But I think we’d want to give O’Neill enough time to potentially break out (again). He doesn’t seem like a short-side platoon bat to me. O’Neill’s 80th percentile projection for 2023 was a 137 OPS+ hitter. Injuries and whatever else got in the way there, but I think there’s a decent enough chance he gets there again, and if so would obviously be worth QO-ing or extending.
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I think you’d also want to have depth behind him in case he continues to battle injuries. I know it’s just his biceps, but he looks overbuilt, and I wonder if the way he trains is in part responsible for his persistent hamstring injuries and such.
Im fine with the Sox getting this guy, especially at almost no cost, but let's slow down on the QO talk. In two years, he's gone from an MVP candidate to (apparently) an injury prone malcontent that the Cardinals dumped for spare parts. Is he really at all likely to command a $20 million contract next year?
I do admire your sense of optimism though.
I will hope for the best but when I look at his profile it is a bit too much like Allen Craig's for me to feel comfortable.
Did I say it was likely? It’s a possibility.
Does it really seem to you like an outlandish thing to mention? He finished 8th in the NL MVP race two years ago, and he’s 28.
Fun read from FanGraphs on O'Neill:
Power has never been a problem for the 28-year-old, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, of which about 198 pounds is biceps and quads. It’s ironic that the Cardinals had no more use for him, because the last time a guy this muscular was deemed expendable, Sylvester Stallone made four movies about it.
...
I’ve talked myself into O’Neill being two Advil and a yoga class away from turning back into the Canadian Adolis García.
Power has never been a problem for the 28-year-old, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, of which about 198 pounds is biceps and quads. It’s ironic that the Cardinals had no more use for him, because the last time a guy this muscular was deemed expendable, Sylvester Stallone made four movies about it.
...
I’ve talked myself into O’Neill being two Advil and a yoga class away from turning back into the Canadian Adolis García.
Thanks, good readand I like the idea he’s swing adjustment and a couple yoga classes away from ‘21 performance.
Still not sure what to expect defensively though, which is further complicated by not being sure which OF position he’d play.
Basically, we've spent years fantasizing about what if Bobby Dalbec could get his K% down from 35% or so to "just" 30%. That's O'Neill.
That's one of those things that IMO you don't even consider when trying to construct this team. You try to get two of your top targets and if Sale provides anything remotely close to your "enormous IF" you're incredibly blessed.
Because people don't want us talking about Sale (or pitching) in the rumors thread?
So rather than just have no posts on the board until January or whenever Yamamoto signs and rumors for other players start coming out, we're posting in here?
Two best reasons I've got.
On O'Neill, no I haven't seen him play a lot personally. But FWIW, in the seasons in which he's played enough to collect enough data points, BBSavant gives him really good grades in terms of range, arm strength and sprint speed (I think he's always been above the 70th percentile, with more in the 80s and 90s than not). I'm not old enough to have seen Lynn play, but he sounds like someone that would certainly be capable of handling RF in Fenway Park as a plus asset in the field.
Kind of a similar arm to Verdugo, but with better range and speed. No idea how "smooth" it's going to look out there, but it seems like the tools are there for him to be effective and pretty decent, at worst. At least for the 75 games he's going to be healthy.
Here's what I found on YouTube ("5 tool player", not just D highlights, but it gives a good sense of his speed, power, arm, and glove). View: https://youtu.be/lqoTEN7r7qo?si=Jd1ApDdlE0N7GYWV
The thought, I would imagine, is he is so erratic with pitching in terms of giving you consistent IP, it might not be worth even penciling him for a rotation spot. There is an argument there but I wouldn't be sold.
Sorry, I meant in relation to someone saying he wasn't Fred Lynn (which I took to mean as in a very smooth OF, not as in position). At least that is how I took it.
But I should have said "I'm not old enough to have seen Lynn play, so I can't compare O'Neill to him, but it sounds like O'Neill would certainly be capable of handling RF in Fenway Park as a plus asset in the field."
But I should have said "I'm not old enough to have seen Lynn play, so I can't compare O'Neill to him, but it sounds like O'Neill would certainly be capable of handling RF in Fenway Park as a plus asset in the field."
Thanks for sharing nice to have some sense of what’s coming. It’s hard to judge contact but the video sure looks to confirm the other tools.
Again, I know it’s highlights and he’s clearly an elite fast twitch athlete, but also he gives me the odd impression his muscles are going to jettison his body when he’s moving explosively.
LINK
“I’ve made a lot of adaptions to my training program. I’m working with my new trainers this year,” O’Neill said (12:15 in player above). “It involves a lot more intensive warmups, getting my body ready the right way, more shoulder mobility, more hip mobility. I’m on a core program that I do religiously that helps out my back a lot.”
“I’ve made a lot of adaptions to my training program. I’m working with my new trainers this year,” O’Neill said (12:15 in player above). “It involves a lot more intensive warmups, getting my body ready the right way, more shoulder mobility, more hip mobility. I’m on a core program that I do religiously that helps out my back a lot.”
Thanks for this. The recognition and willingness to make any adjustments in the name of improved health/performance is always encouraging.
Seems that by adding his speed it may make parting with Duran in a trade that much more palatable
according to baseball reference Duran becomes a free agent in 2029. For o'neill it's just one year if I understand correctly.
O'Neill seems like a candidate for a nice bounceback season if he can stay healthy. All the underlying metrics seem to indicate his BABIP around ~.280 the last couple seasons was substantially under what ought to have been expected for him. Combine that with a declining K rate, a rising BB rate, and a season of hitting at Fenway... he might not hit 35 home runs, but there's plenty of reasons to think he can be a really nice platoon option or an everyday regular if they move on from Abreu or Duran.
View: https://twitter.com/byrobertmurray/status/1745511113696121291?s=46&t=Tl7uNH0-pxEyJtNj1BktDA
Sox settle with O’Neill at $5.85 million. His MLBTR arb projection was $5.5.
Sox settle with O’Neill at $5.85 million. His MLBTR arb projection was $5.5.
Yup. Neither of who are doing really anything at all for the Cardinals. Santos looks like he might wash out and Robertson has been a mix of injured and bad.
Best line without a doubt was "JD Drew with poor intangibles and much worse contact rate." Like... wasn't intangibles what people always complained about with JD Drew?
Anyways, O'Neill is at 2.2 fWAR right now, for what it's worth. Verdugo is at .5.
Interesting development this season is that O'Neill went from 90th percentile or better in sprint speed (2018-2022) to 80th last year to just 58th this year. Seems likely this was a team decision to protect his legs rather than having him bust his ass (literally) trying to steal bases and make diving catches. Or he's just gotten slower, I don't know.
Either way, it's translating to his best season since 2021. He hasn't missed much time -- the knee stuff and getting clobbered by Devers in left field have been his only missed time.
Great update. And agree there's definitely a sense that he knows playing 140 games is more important than a few more doubles/SBs. Also appreciate the fact that after a bad miscue in extras on Monday he came back and hit two dingers the day after.
TON strikes out a lot period. In the game yesterday, he had two homers, but K'd with runners on 2nd and 3rd with two-out. That says something. He has like 21 dingers, but only 38 rbi's this year. He is serviceable, but we really need one more RH bat, especially like today (Wed) when they held him out.