Cardinals Reportedly Would 'Jump On' Chance To Trade Award-Winning Outfielder

St. Louis has a surplus of outfielders entering this offseason

Scott Neville | Oct 17, 2023

Cardinals Reportedly Would 'Jump On' Chance To Trade Award-Winning Outfielder /

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have to get creative this offseason in order to turn around a club that finished in last place of the National League Central.

The Cardinals have openly said they would like to add at least three starters to the rotation and will need to work on their bullpen as well. One of the ways to acquire some of these pieces likely will be via trade, as St. Louis has a deep position player group to deal from.

Among the many players who could be offered up in trades, there is a two-time Gold Glove winner who St. Louis reportedly would love to move on from.

"Tyler O’Neill’s perceived trade value has never been lower, but if there’s a suitor for the oft-injured outfielder, St. Louis will jump on it," The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey wrote Tuesday.

O'Neill hit .231 with 23 extra-base hits including nine home runs, 21 RBIs and a .715 OPS (94 OPS+) in 72 games this season.

The 28-year-old battled injuries for the majority of the season, which has been a career-long trend. His contract expires at the end of the 2024 season, so this winter would be a logical time to trade him.

St. Louis already has outfielders Lars Nootbar, Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Alec Burleson, Richie Palacios, Juan Yepez, Moisés Gómez and Michael Siani on the 40-man roster. Versatile defenders Tommy Edman and Brandon Donovan also are capable of patrolling the outfielder if needed.

The Cardinals almost certainly will deal out of this group to acquire an impact starter, and O'Neill could be the first name that St. Louis offers up when that time comes.

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Published Oct 17, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu