Polarizing Ex-Cardinal Lands $49.5M Deal With Orioles After 31-Homer 2024

The former Cardinal certainly is having a great offseason so far

Mar 11, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; A detailed view of Baltimore Orioles baseball hats and gloves in the dugout during the first inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

One former member of the St. Louis Cardinals certainly has had a good winter offseason so far.

Former Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill was traded to the Boston Red Sox ahead of the 2024 season as he had just one more season of control until free agency. The Cardinals didn’t clearly didn’t see him in the team’s long-term plans.

O’Neill responded by having one of the best seasons of his career. He appeared in 113 games with the Red Sox in 2024 and launched 31 home runs and drove in 61 RBIs. O’Neill became a free agent after the season and landed a deal elsewhere.

The former Cardinals and Red Sox slugger reportedly is signing a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman and ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

“Outfielder Tyler O'Neill and the Baltimore Orioles are in agreement on a three-year, $49.5 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, a source tells ESPN,” Passan said. “O'Neill, 29, hit 31 home runs with Boston in 2024. Deal is pending physical. On the news: Jon Heyman.”

Clearly, the Cardinals made the right move. O’Neill shined in 2024, but the Cardinals likely won’t hand out a deal of that nature this offseason. If the Cardinals didn’t deal him, it seems like he would’ve walked for nothing.

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