When Craig Breslow took over as the chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox in October 2023, he didn't wait long to start making trades.
By the end of December 2023, he had made four trades, including acquiring outfielder/designated hitter Tyler O'Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals for right-handed pitchers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos.
At the time, O'Neill was coming off two seasons playing fewer than 100 games, but with Boston he had one of the best years of his career, hitting .241 with an .847 OPS, 31 home runs, 61 RBIs and four stolen bases in 113 games.
This offseason, the 29-year-old hit free agency, and despite the success, Boston refused to offer him a contract, allowing him to sign a multi-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles.
Still, O'Neill appreciates the season spent with the Red Sox.
"Yeah, I sure did (feel like I was a great fit with the Red Sox)," O'Neill said on a recent episode of the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. "If anyone ever asks me about Boston, the first thing I'd say is how grateful I was for the opportunity to play in that ballpark and within that clubhouse culture. The gig that A.C. (Alex Cora) runs over there is awesome. Guys are loose, and there's really good chemistry in that locker room. Playing at Fenway Park is special. You don't see a Green Monster anywhere else in the league or in the world, so being able to take advantage of that for a full season was a lot of fun. It was awesome. It was a great time overall."
O'Neill won't have to wait long to face his former team, as the Red Sox and Orioles will square off on Monday, March 31 at 3:05 p.m. ET at Camden Yards. And, if Boston hasn't found a right-handed power bat to replace him, fans may be missing him early in the year.
