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Tyler O'Neill played only one season in the American League East, but evidently it was enough to convince the Baltimore Orioles to prioritize him in the 2024 offseason.
O'Neill and the Orioles agreed on a three-year, $49.5 million deal last week, sending the former Boston Red Sox player south after a 31-home-run 2024 season.
The newest member of the Orioles met with the media via Zoom on Monday where he explained how he ended up in Baltimore. O'Neill said the Orioles made him a “priority” and had contact with him early on in the free agency process. He added that he expects to be an everyday player, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko.
O'Neill is a two-time Gold Glove winner who has primarily played left field spanning his time with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Red Sox. He also played 50 games in right field for Boston last year.
O'Neill is a right-handed hitter, now added to the mix of an all-lefty Baltimore outfield, provided the team doesn't bring back Anthony Santander. Santander, a switch-hitting power hitter, blasted 44 home runs in 2024 and is now one of the top outfielders on the market with Juan Soto officially part of the New York Mets.
In his one season with the Red Sox, O'Neill hit .241 with an .847 OPS. It was only the second season of his seven-year career in which he saw action in more than 100 games.
Camden Yards outfield wall played a role in Tyler O'Neill's Orioles decision
O'Neill admitted to the media that the Orioles' decision to move the outfield wall in before 2025 Opening Day was part of the team's sales pitch.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards has become notorious over the last three years for how hard it is to hit a ball out to left field. That came after the team moved its left field fence back in 2022 by as much as 26.5 feet in some places, and made the wall six feet taller to combat a rash of home runs to that part of the park.
Where the wall was 384 and 398 feet from home plate in 2024, it will now be 374 and 376 feet respectively, according to MLB.com.
That's good news for O'Neill, who has pulled 46 of his 109 career home runs to left. He's never homered in 16 career plate appearances in Baltimore, but all of those came after the walls were moved back.
O'Neill is the second signing Baltimore has made so far this offseason. The Orioles also signed catcher Gary Sanchez, who should also appreciate the movement. The righty has pulled 92 of his 184 career home runs and has homered 11 times in Baltimore — the most in his career at any opposing ballpark.
