Struggling Slugger Likely Won't Opt Out of Contract With Orioles

The struggles of the Baltimore Orioles have continued with offseason acquisitions not performing up to the standard the team was likely expecting.

Despite having high expectations coming into the year, the Orioles have already emerged as an early seller this summer with a record well under .500.

This is certainly a disappointment considering the success the franchise has had over the last couple seasons. However, with a starting rotation that has dealt with injuries and likely wasn’t good enough to begin with, the struggles of the team shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.

While the rotation hasn’t been great, neither has the lineup.

The talented young core of the team hasn’t performed well, and neither has a key replacement for Anthony Santander.

Will Tyler O’Neill Turn It Around for Baltimore?

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the struggles of outfielder Tyler O’Neill and why it seems unlikely that he would opt out of his contract after this campaign.

“Given his extensive injury history, I don’t expect O’Neill to opt out of a contract that will have two years and $33 million remaining. However, you never know how these types of deals will play out.”

The signing of O’Neill to a multi-year deal came with a lot of risk for Baltimore given his extensive injury history. Despite being a talented slugger, the outfielder has simply not been able to stay healthy throughout his career.

He has only played over 100 games twice, so deciding to give him a semi-long-term deal was surprising.

However, the reason why Baltimore was so high on him was his ability to slug when healthy.

With the Boston Red Sox in 2024, he slashed .241/.336/.511 with 31 home runs in 113 games.

If he was able to play a full season, O’Neill does carry 40 home run upside. However, that doesn’t appear to be something that he is capable of this year.

So far this campaign, he has already missed some time, but he also hasn’t been great when healthy with a slash line of .188/.280/.325 and two home runs in 24 games.

The poor showing thus far will likely result in O’Neill not exercising his right to opt out of his contract, leaving the Orioles in a tough spot.

So far, offseason decisions made by the front office haven’t worked out, and O’Neill is one of them. With his inability to stay healthy and poor production this year, it would be shocking to see him opt out of his deal.  

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