Red Sox acquire two-time Gold Glove outfielder from Cardinals
Two days after trading outfielder Alex Verdugo to their division-rival New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox have found his replacement by acquiring outfielder Tyler O'Neill in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos.
In his breakout 2021 season with the Cardinals, O'Neill slashed .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs and 80 RBI in 138 games while also winning his second straight National League Gold Glove Award in left field but has failed to replicate that success since then.
Over the past two seasons, he has struggled with injuries, which have led him to only 168 games played while posting a .229/.310/.397 slash line with 23 home runs and 79 RBI.
When healthy, he is not only one of the stronger players in the MLB, but he is also one of the fastest with his sprint speed ranking in the top 16 every year since his debut except 2023.
There had been rumors swirling since early in the 2023 season that O'Neill would be on the move after he disagreed with Cardinals manager Oli Marmol over not hustling on a play. This continued into the offseason with O'Neill's agent voicing his displeasure about the situation.
In return, the Cardinals received two pitchers who could end up being serviceable but likely are not the return fans had expected.
Robertson is a 25-year-old relief pitcher who figures to get a chance to make the Cardinals team out of spring training. The right-hander made his MLB debut in 2023, going 0-1, with a 6.04 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched.
Santos is a 23-year-old pitcher who missed all of 2023 after an injury suffered in spring training with Boston, he will likely begin the year in Double-A or Triple-A as he works himself back from injury in 2024.
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