Ex-Red Sox Slugger Offers Details Behind Near Return To Boston In Offseason

Tyler O’Neill was a crucial part of the 2024 Boston Red Sox’s lineup, and the organization recognized that in the offseason.

O’Neill hit free agency following an impressive debut run with Boston in which he slashed .241/.336/.511 with a team-leading 31 home runs and 61 RBIs. The right-handed slugger revealed that the Red Sox were interested in a contract extension. It just fell through.

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“(Craig) Breslow and (Alex Cora), they showed interest early on in the offseason, maybe in November,” O’Neill told WEEI’s Rob Bradford on Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. “Just talking to Scott (Boras) and letting him know that they were interested. Obviously, there’s a lot of moving parts during the offseason, but we knew that they would be part of the mix. Now, when it came down to it, I’m very thankful that I signed ahead of my market. Obviously, myself and a lot of guys were waiting for (Juan) Soto to go, and I was holding up everything, but the (Baltimore) Orioles came to me before that all started working. And it was a strong offer; it was within my ballpark, they gave me multiple years, and I’m happy with where I’m at.”

The 29-year-old agreed to a three-year, $49.5 million contract with the division-rival Orioles, which means O’Neill won’t be too far from Fenway Park. Getting a multi-year deal for a contending organization was among O’Neill’s biggest priorities entering the offseason, and now he’ll compete against his former club in the American League East.

O’Neill didn’t fail to provide the Red Sox, Fenway Park, and the city of Boston a glowing review when looking back at his brief one-year stay.

“I really enjoyed the city of Boston,” O’Neill said. “It was an honor to wear a Red Sox uniform for a season, very special to play at Fenway Park for a season — 80 games — and just very thankful for the entire process. That organization was great for me. The way they communicated. The way they worked. … Just have so much respect for those guys.”

Boston did have a case to retain O’Neill, so the franchise’s interest makes sense. O’Neill is a right-handed hitter with electric power. Fenway Park’s outfield dimensions — 310 feet to left field — works in O’Neill’s favor at the plate, and the team is now built to make some noise this upcoming season.

Breslow and the front office transformed the team’s pitching staff by adding Aroldis Chapman to the bullpen and Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval to the starting rotation. Alex Bregman became the eventual solution for the Red Sox’s right-handed hitter void, and based on what O’Neill gave Boston in 2024, the seven-year veteran could’ve flourished alongside the new-look roster.

Now ready to call Oriole Park at Camden Yards home for the next three seasons, O’Neill still landed in a friendly spot for power hitters.

The Orioles modified Camden Yard’s left field wall, readjusting it from 384 and 398 feet away from home plate to 373 and 376 feet, respectively. O’Neill approved of that major change for Baltimore’s hitters, calling it a “big factor” in his agreement to join the club.

“Probably about mid-November, they put out news that they were gonna be moving the left field wall in,” O’Neill told “Baseball Isn’t Boring” in December. “And to be honest, I don’t know if I would consider signing in Baltimore with that left field how it was the last couple of years — just for my player profile and how I hit the ball. … It was very appealing for me to be able to see that they were gonna make a proper modification to the wall.”