Tyler O’Neill can’t tell you with certainty where he’ll be playing baseball next season. Heck, he doesn’t know for sure where he will be playing next month.
As a very talented player on an expiring contract, O’Neill will be a player to keep an eye on ahead of the MLB trade deadline. The Red Sox aren’t expected to be sellers before July 30, but as a player who was blindsided by a midseason trade before, O’Neill is keeping himself prepared for anything.
If the veteran slugger has his way, he’ll stay in a Boston uniform and try to help the club reach the postseason. And beyond the 2024 campaign, O’Neill is open to staying with the Red Sox.
“I think there always is (uncertainty at the deadline),” O’Neill told reporters Monday, per The Boston Globe. “I understand where I’m at with an expiring contract coming up. It’s part of the game. It’s part of the business. Thankfully, we’ve played really well collectively as a team to put ourselves in the hunt.
“I don’t know how it’s going to go. I’d love to stay here the rest of the season, possibly beyond if that’s what they want. But we’ll see. Again, it’s a business, so time will tell on that.”
At this point, it would be very surprising if the Red Sox shipped O’Neill out. Yes, he probably could yield a nice return in a trade, but he’s a critically important player for a team squarely in the playoff mix.
So, O’Neill probably is more likely to be meeting a new teammate or two by next week than putting on a new uniform.
