Red Sox Slugger Takes Hard Stance On Whether He Wants To Be Traded At Deadline

Will the impending free agent be apart of the long-term plan?

Scott Neville | Jul 24, 2024

May 19, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Tyler O'Neill (17) reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are expected to somewhat notably shake up their roster prior to the looming July 30 trade deadline.

Will that mean, a slew of additions, subtractions or a mix of both -- as we've seen in previous years?

The Red Sox clearly need at least one starting pitcher -- ideally a left-hander, as well as a right-handed bat and some bullpen depth.

They also have a group of impending free agents that include Tyler O'Neill, Nick Pivetta, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen should they attempt a buy/sell approach or completely fall apart in the final week before the deadline.

O'Neill -- who has been traded twice in his career -- was vocal on what he would like to happen, both to himself and the Red Sox in the coming days.

“I don’t know how it’s going to go. I’d love to stay here the rest of the season, possibly beyond if that’s what they want. But we’ll see. Again, it’s a business, so time will tell on that," O'Neill told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier on Monday.

While it's not surprising that the first-year Red Sox slugger would like to finish the year in Boston given their solid odds of making a postseason push -- his comment about being open to a second contract is notable.

O'Neill is hitting .267 with 33 extra-base hits including 20 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .891 OPS in 73 games this season.

The Red Sox acquired O'Neill praying he could return to his 2021 form -- which required relative health and a level of production he's only shown once at the big-league level. Thus far, Boston has gotten their wish.

O'Neill also commented on how he would like Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to operate in his first trade deadline.

“Personally, I’d love it if we bought, went out and got some key pieces, whatever Bres and the rest of the front office deem that to be," O'Neill continued. "That would be ideal. We want to buy, we want to compete, and we want to win here in Boston. I would love us to buy and to go deep in the postseason.”

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Published Jul 24, 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