Red Sox Home Run Leader Predicted To Leave Boston Could Be Perfect Royals Addition
The Kansas City Royals have done something remarkable in 2024. In fact, it's one of the hardest things to do in all of sports.
A season after losing a franchise record 106 games, the Royals are on the doorstep of postseason baseball. They lead the Minnesota Twins by two games for the final American League Wild Card spot with just four left to play.
Even more remarkably, the Royals have done so with a series of obvious holes in their roster. Their bullpen has been mediocre, and the bottom of their lineup has been dreadful for most of the year. If they fix some of their flaws, they could be a terrifying team to face in years to come.
One of the most obvious issues with the Royals lineup is the outfield, where no player on the 2024 team has hit more than 17 home runs. Adding pop to an area of the roster that is typically counted on to provide it should be a priority for this Kansas City team when free agency begins.
Meanwhile, Devon Platana of FanSided predicted that 2024 Red Sox home run leader Tyler O'Neill will leave Boston, setting up a potential window for the Royals to grab their power-hitting outfielder.
"O'Neill will certainly garner attention as a free agent this offseason. World Series contenders would love to add a talented slugger who's hit 30-plus HRs in two of the last four seasons and even finished eighth in the 2021 NL MVP race," Platana said.
"Could the Red Sox keep O'Neill? Certainly, however, that seems unlikely given the team's frugal spending. Boston also has a fairly talented outfield as it stands and letting O'Neill walk would make the situation less crowded."
The "frugal spending" bit is key for both teams because the Royals and Red Sox have both pulled a 180 with their budgets of late. Boston is tightening up their payroll more than ever, while Kansas City is pushing for a new ballpark and pouring money into their roster to try and drum up excitement.
O'Neill has had a bounceback year after missing most of 2022 and 2023 to injury. He has 31 home runs in just 112 games, with a robust .847 OPS/131 OPS+.
While O'Neill might not be in Boston's long-term plans, an outfielder with a 30-homer bat is exactly what the Royals are missing right now. They've built a roster with great speed and defense that doesn't strike out much, so they can sacrifice some contact to get the pop they need in O'Neill.
The timing might be perfect for the Royals to make a strong bid for O'Neill. He could very well be the missing ingredient that puts K.C. over the top in 2025.
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JACKSON ROBERTS
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org