Yankees Linked To Gold Glove Outfielder To Bolster Injury-Plagued Position

A trade could be brewing in New York

Scott Neville | Jun 24, 2023

Yankees Linked To Gold Glove Outfielder To Bolster Injury-Plagued Position /

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New York Yankees

Could a two-time Gold Glove winner with some pop and speed be the weapon the New York Yankees have been searching for to bolster their injury-ridden outfield?

Given the state of the team, it would not hurt.

The Yankees were linked to a 28-year-old outfielder who could fit in perfectly with Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader upon return.

"If (the St. Louis Cardinals) do sell, free agents to be Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty should go. With their outfield glut, Tyler O’Neill is another logical trade candidate," The New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote last week. "He’d fit the Yankees, who could use a left fielder."

A healthy outfield of Judge, Bader and O'Neill would be dominant defensively and above-average at the plate.

Unfortunatly, Bader has aleady had a pair of spouts on the injured list and is just getting back into playing reguarlary for the Yankees, Judge is on the injured list with no timetable and O'Neill is on the 60-day injured list for a back strain -- also with no timetable.

O'Neill only has 29 games played this season but is a career .250 hitter with 131 extra-base hits including 71 home runs, 202 RBIs and a .776 OPS in 434 games -- all with the Cardinals.

His current 162-game pace for a season would be a .250 average with 49 extra-base hits including 27 home runs, 75 RBIs and a 112 OPS+ -- strong offensive output from an elite defender.

That said, he's hitting .228 this season to match his 2022 total and is dealing with a fairly serious back ailment.

If he's healthy by the trade deadline, the Yankees would be wise to inquire. If not, they should refrain from trading for an already injured Gold Glove outfielder from the Cardinals -- which is what they did a season ago.

Published Jun 24, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville is the publisher of Inside The Red Sox and Inside The Cardinals, as seen on Sports Illustrated. Before running his own sites, 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 FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." Now Neville is adding the New York market to his arsenal as well as Boston and St. Louis. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu