Outfielder Tyler O’Neill and the Baltimore Orioles are in settlement on a three-year, $49.5 million contract, a supply advised ESPN, filling a void created by the free company of slugging outfielder Anthony Santander.
O’Neill, who will obtain an opt-out clause after the primary 12 months of the deal, parlayed a bounce-back season with the Boston Red Sox into the most important payday for an outfielder this winter. While that quickly might be dwarfed by Juan Soto‘s signing, O’Neill, 29, provides a right-handed bat to an Orioles lineup full of left-handed hitters.
He did the vast majority of his harm towards left-handed pitchers this 12 months, hitting 16 of his 31 house runs off lefties — in fewer than half the plate appearances. With the left-field fences at Camden Yards scheduled to be moved in, O’Neill can faucet into his energy with a lineup that already consists of Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Cedric Mullins.
After spending his first six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, O’Neill was traded to Boston final winter and hit .241/.336/.511 whereas driving in 61 runs in 113 video games. It was probably the most O’Neill had performed since his breakout 2021 season, when he completed eighth in National League MVP voting and gained his second consecutive Gold Glove in left subject.
Injuries have hindered O’Neill, who’s a part of a deep free agent class of nook outfielders that features Soto, Santander (who hit 44 house runs for Baltimore this 12 months), Teoscar Hernandez, Jurickson Profar, Joc Pederson, Max Kepler, Michael Conforto and Alex Verdugo.
None hits left-handers like O’Neill, who slashed .313/.430/.750 in 156 plate appearances this season and has a profession OPS 182 factors greater towards lefties. Baltimore takes benefit of platoon splits when attainable, getting a profession 12 months out of Ryan O’Hearn, a left-handed hitter who punishes right-handed pitching.
Baltimore’s winter will not finish with O’Neill.
The Orioles stay energetic in pursuing starting-pitching choices to hitch Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer of their rotation. Baltimore ace Corbin Burnes, who threw eight sensible innings through the Orioles’ wild-card collection loss to Kansas City, is a free agent anticipated to reap a contract in extra of $200 million.