By Rob Rains
The Cardinals found a trading partner for Tyler O’Neill on Friday, sending the outfielder to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for two right-handed pitchers.
Nick Robertson will be added to the 40-man roster by the Cardinals while Victor Santos will be assigned to a minor-league team.
The deal came two days after the end of the Winter Meetings, when the Cardinals went public with their desire to trade the 28-year-old O’Neill.
A former two-time Gold Glove winner who hit 34 home runs in 2021, O’Neill apparently wore out his welcome with the Cardinals after two seasons filled with injuries.
In six seasons with the Cardinals, 2021 was the only year in which he played more than 96 games. Over the last two seasons O’Neill appeared in a combined 168 games.
O’Neill was headed toward his third year or arbitration and was projected to earn about $6 million in 2024. He is eligible to become a free agent at the end of next season.
John Mozeliak, the president of baseball operations for the Cardinals, went public at the meetings with the team’s attempt to trade O’Neill because of a decision to go with a starting outfield of Lars Nootbaar, Tommy Edman and Jordan Walker. Dylan Carlson is expected to be the team’s fourth outfielder.
O’Neill was publicly criticized by manager Oli Marmol early in 2023 for what he perceived as a lack of hustle. O’Neill missed a large chunk of the year with a back injury, playing in only 72 games with nine homers, 21 RBIs and a .231 average.
The Red Sox were in the market for an outfielder after trading Alex Verdugo to the Yankees earlier this week.
A native of British Columbia, Canada, O’Neill was originally selected by the Mariners in the third round of the 2013 draft. He was traded to the Cardinals in 2017 for left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales. Gonzales was traded twice this week, going from the Mariners to Atlanta before the Braves flipped him to the Pirates.
On Wednesday the Cardinals added right-handed reliever Ryan Fernandez from the Red Sox, claiming him in the Rule 5 draft.
Robertson, also 25, made his major-league debut in 2023 for the Dodgers before he was part of a trade with the Red Sox in July. He recorded 26 strikeouts in 22 major-league innings this season and has averaged more than a strikeout per inning throughout his professional career.
Santos, 23, signed as an international free agent with the Phillies before he was traded to the Red Sox in 2021. He did not pitch in the 2023 regular season because of arm discomfort but has been pitching this winter in his native Dominican Republic.
Santos split the 2022 season between Double A and Triple A, working primarily as a starter.
Photo by AP courtesy of KSDK Sports
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