Red Sox $45 Million Power Hitter Predicted To Ditch Boston In Favor Of Royals

Could Boston and Kansas City become rivals soon?

Jul 30, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A Kansas City Royals hat and glove in the dugout during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

There was once a time when the Boston Red Sox never had to worry about losing a prized free agent to an American League Central team, but that time may have passed.

Though the AL Central is typically Major League Baseball's lightest-spending division, some of the teams have begun to dip their toes into the spending pool. The Kansas City Royals appear to be leading the charge, having spent over $100 million in free-agent contracts last winter.

This winter, the Royals look to be active again, already inking starting pitcher Michael Wacha to a three-year, $51 million extension. Perhaps their next move could be to pilfer a big bat from the Boston lineup.

Tyler O'Neill, the Red Sox's home run leader in 2024, is expected to draw interest from several clubs in free agency. Jack Oliver of Jomboy Media, better known as "Jolly Olive," recently predicted that O'Neill would sign in Kansas City on a two-year deal this winter.

"Tyler O'Neill, I have him going back to Missouri but for the Royals this time, for two big reasons," Oliver said.

"One, the Royals were very bad against left-handed pitchers last year... I don't know if you're seen O'Neill's lefty-righty splits; they are absurd. He had a .693 OPS against lefties and a 1.180 against righties."

"And then their outfield offensive production was not good and O'Neill hit 20 home runs last year. You just hope that he doesn't get injured."

O'Neill, 29, had his second-best season as a big-leaguer in 2024, but he still struggled with injuries and strikeouts. Nonetheless, many teams will be interested in a bat that produced 31 home runs in 113 games with an excellent .854 OPS.

Competition for O'Neill seems to be intensifying as the calendar continues to turn towards winter. ESPN's Jeff Passan recently linked O'Neill to another Central team, the Detroit Tigers, as well as the San Francisco Giants.

Tim Britton of The Athletic projects that O'Neill will get a three-year, $45 million deal, and the Red Sox already declined to give the Canadian slugger a qualifying offer. If that fits within Kansas City's budget, the Red Sox could be in a scenario where they're fighting with O'Neill's new team for a playoff berth come next September.

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