Ex-Cardinals Projected $90 Million Star To Be Pursued By AL East Club

Will the Cardinals star land in the AL East this winter?

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

One former member of the St. Louis Cardinals will hit the open market this winter and will be heavily pursued.

Former Cardinals slugger Tyler O'Neill spent the 2024 season after being traded to the Boston Red Sox ahead of the season. O'Neill had the second-best season of his career and had 31 home runs and 61 RBIs in 113 games played.

The biggest issue for O'Neill in St. Louis was his health, and he was able to play in over 100 games for just the second season of his career. Now, he's expected to cash in. Spotrac currently is projecting O'Neill to get roughly $90 million in free agency over five years.

MLB.com's Ian Browne predicted that Boston will pursue a reunion, but it's unclear if O'Neill will re-sign as he has Scott Boras as an agent.

"The Red Sox simply tilt too far left with their position-player alignment. They need to get some right-handed hitters who can take advantage of the Green Monster. Tyler O’Neill certainly did that, but he is about to become a free agent. The Sox will likely explore bringing O’Neill back, but the outfielder is represented by agent Scott Boras, who isn’t one to make quick decisions in the offseason. If O’Neill leaves, look for the Red Sox to go after two right-handed bats. If he stays, they’ll look to add one."

If O'Neill doesn't re-sign with Boston, there surely will be plenty of teams that want him. He would make a lot of sense back in St. Louis if the club wasn't planning to "reset" the organization in 2025. O'Neill has shown that he can be a very good player, but it won't be for St. Louis in 2025, sadly.

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