Red Sox $48 Million Star Linked To Mets As Juan Soto Alternative

Where will the Red Sox slugger land this winter?

Sep 11, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Tyler O'Neill (17) his a three run home run to win the game against the Baltimore Orioles in ten innings at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Will the Boston Red Sox find a way to re-sign one of their best hitters from the 2024 season?

Boston made a great move by acquiring two-time Gold Glove Award winner Tyler O'Neill in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals last offseason. The Red Sox needed a right-handed boost and clearly got it by landing O'Neill.

He arguably was Boston's best slugger in 2024, as he crushed 31 home runs and drove in 61 runs in just 113 games. O'Neill has dealt with a plethora of injuries throughout his career, but he was able to stay relatively healthy in 2024 and played the second-most games in a season of his career.

O'Neill will be a hot commodity on the open market and currently is projected to get a deal worth roughly three years and $48 million by Spotrac.

It's unclear where he will land, but ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted that the New York Mets will be in the mix for him if they miss out on New York Yankees star Juan Soto.

'Look, a conservative prediction has Soto returning to the New York Yankees, although that's hardly a slam dunk," Schoenfield said. "Let's go with the Mets re-signing Alonso -- which I think is reasonable, as there's unlikely to be a robust, nine-figure market for a player of his skills and age -- plus (Sean Manaea). President of baseball operations David Stearns knows he needs to infuse young players into the lineup, so I think he keeps the prospects..."Less expensive alternatives to Soto include Teoscar Hernández, Anthony Santander, and Tyler O'Neill."

O'Neill will be a worthy target for any contender. When healthy, he has a very high defensive upside and can easily club over 30 home runs. Boston should try to bring him back, but there will be competition.

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