Most of the Red Sox talk this offseason has been about players who Boston could bring in to help lead a turnaround for the franchise.
But what about the storied club’s internal free agents?
The Red Sox saw a few members from the 2024 team hit the open market primed to generate a fair share of interest. Nick Pivetta headlines the group, and he set himself up to land a long-term deal after rejecting Boston’s qualifying offer last month. But in a column published Friday, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden highlighted another player who’s poised to leave the Red Sox and could join a contender.
“I wish I could give you Teoscar Hernández or Santander, but I don’t see either of those happening,” Bowden wrote about the Cleveland Guardians. “If I put on a blindfold, spin around a few times and throw a dart … how about Tyler O’Neill?”
O’Neill is coming off a bit of an odd season. He managed to lead Boston in home runs (31) despite being limited to 113 games due to injuries, but he only knocked in 61 runs. The 29-year-old also is no longer the kind of defender that made him an annual Gold Glove contender in St. Louis.
But the Guardians could use a little more pop, and they might view O’Neill as a low-risk option with the potential for a big reward.
