Red Sox Predicted To Avoid $21M Deal With Slugger In Favor Of Big Splash

The Red Sox have a big decision to make over the next few days

Sep 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Tyler O'Neill (17) hits a home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have a choice to make in the near future.

Boston doesn't have much time to decide whether or not to offer slugger Tyler O'Neill the qualifying offer. This would be a one-year deal worth just over $21 million that if declined could bring a draft pick back to Boston if O'Neill signed elsewhere.

The Red Sox will have to make this decision by early next week. A deal of this nature could be considered an overpay for O'Neill despite slugging 31 home runs in 2024. It wouldn't be egregious by any means, and it's at least up for debate.

MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo spoke about the decision and predicted that the Red Sox ultimately will not offer the qualifying offer to O'Neil to maintain flexibility for a larger move.

"The likely outcome here is that the Red Sox don’t give O’Neill the qualifying offer, meaning they won’t get a pick if he signs elsewhere," Cotillo said. "That doesn’t mean the sides can’t talk about a deal later in the offseason, but also keeps the door open for Breslow to make a full-throated run at (Teoscar Hernández) or another big bat in a market that has already started moving with the news that the (Atlanta Braves) traded Jorge Soler to the (Los Angeles Angels) on Thursday.

"Issuing O’Neill a QO would be a sign the Red Sox plan to be aggressive and uncomfortable, which would be welcomed by fans. But there are probably smarter ways to allocate resources and a long winter of possibilities ahead."

Cotillo is one of the most respected Red Sox reporters out there. He doesn't just throw things at the wall. If this is the inclination he's getting, he's probably right.

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