Mariners Could Target Red Sox Slugger To Bolster Offense For Playoff Run

Boston is likely to be in seller mode by the trade deadline

Scott Neville | Jun 10, 2024

Jul 11, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; A general view of pre game ceremonies before the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

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With everything that has occurred over the last three seasons, it's hard to envision the Boston Red Sox as anything but sellers with the July 30 Major League Baseball trade deadline approaching.

The Red Sox sit at 31-31, barely hanging on to third place in the loaded American League East. While Boston remains just 1 1/2 games back of an AL Wild Card spot, 2024 was never supposed to be a year of contention and likely never will be.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow entered his new role as the leader of baseball operations with the mindset of building for 2025 and beyond, and will not go off course unless Boston makes a real run -- something that should not be forecasted.

That means that most if not all impending free agents will be shipped away to contenders and the Seattle Mariners would make sense as a potential landing spot for one of the Red Sox's biggest realistic trade assets: outfielder Tyler O'Neill.

O'Neill is hitting .250 with 17 extra-base hits including 11 home runs, 18 RBIs and a .854 OPS (137 OPS+) in 44 games played this season.

The Mariners are leading the AL West with a 37-30 record and certainly will push their chips in at the trade deadline. In doing so, they'll attempt to improve upon a lackluster offense that ranks No. 24 in runs scored with 257.

O'Neill could not only bolster the offense but flash some leather as well. The slugger also happens to be a two-time Gold Glove award winner who is plenty capable of handling the T-Mobile Park dimensions.

The Red Sox likely will hand O'Neill to the highest bidder in a limited outfield market this summer. The Mariners could be a team to watch as they attempt to capitalize on a strong start.

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Published Jun 10, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", 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 the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu