Trade For Stud Cardinals Outfielder Makes Perfect Sense For Red Sox After Rough News

Should the Red Sox consider a major trade for the Cardinals outfielder?

The Boston Red Sox may be in the market for a new outfielder. 

Boston's offense has been firing on all cylinders to open the 2023 season, but one of its most impressive players is expected to miss significant time. New outfielder Adam Duvall has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball throughout the first two weeks of the season, but he reportedly will miss time after being placed on the injured list Monday due to a fractured wrist. 

"Adam Duvall has a distal radius fracture in his left wrist," MLB.com's Ian Browne said. "No timetable yet as they gather more information but obviously a minimum of 'weeks.' Any fracture takes four to six weeks to heal."

In the short term, Boston likely will roll with a platoon of Rob Refsnyder, Raimel Tapia, Enrique Hernandez, and potentially even Jarren Duran in center field. But, if Duvall were to miss an extended period, it may make sense for the club to consider a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Tyler O'Neill. 

The 27-year-old was drafted in the third round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft and has spent his entire professional career in the organization. O'Neill made his MLB debut in 2018 and has developed into an everyday outfielder for St. Louis. Injuries have slowed him down throughout his career, but he still has proven himself to be an exceptional defensive outfielder and has claimed two Gold Glove Awards in six seasons. 

O'Neill has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career but hasn't been able to truly live up to his potential due to his injuries. The 2021 season was O'Neill's best of his career to date. The outfielder slugged .286/.352/.560 to go along with 34 home runs, 80 RBIs, 26 doubles, 15 stolen bases, and two triples across 138 games played. O'Neill shined and finished in eighth place in the National League Most Valuable Player voting in 2021. 

The 27-year-old has been solid to open the season for St. Louis slashing .267/.313/.367 to go along with a home run and two RBIs, but has been in the headlines not only for positive things after being benched for seemingly a lack of hustle. St. Louis has a surplus of outfield talent but has struggled with pitching. Boston now could use another outfielder with upside and has a surplus of starting pitching. O'Neill won't be a free agent until after the 2025 season so maybe a move would make sense. 

Although injuries and inconsistent play have hampered O'Neill's career at times, he has shown flashes and could be a 30-home run, 30-steals guy if healthy. He has plenty of upside and could help a Boston lineup that needs more pop now with Duvall out. There's no way for sure to know how long Duvall will be out at this point, but if he's out for a long time, keep an eye out on O'Neill. 

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