The Braves’ offseason has started off slowly, but moves are beginning to happen, even with Juan Soto’s free-agent decision still pending.
Initially, Soto’s decision was expected to ignite the MLB Hot Stove, but with Blake Snell and Willy Adames now off the market, teams are starting to sign other free agents.
One of the latest moves involves potential Braves target Tyler O’Neill, who agreed to a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Orioles, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The 30-year-old O’Neill had a strong season when healthy, hitting 31 home runs in just 131 games for Boston, along with a solid .241/.336/.511 slash line and a 131 wRC+. However, his career has been marked by injury issues, with two separate stints on the injured list last season.
O’Neill’s best year came in 2021, when he earned MVP votes while posting a 148 OPS+ and playing 138 games. But over the next two seasons, he didn’t surpass 96 games, though he did play 113 games last year.
At $16.5 million per season, the Braves could likely get more value, especially given their focus on durability. Alex Anthopoulos, the team’s president of baseball operations, is likely weighing multiple factors when pursuing free agents, but health concerns are undoubtedly a priority.
While O’Neill made sense as a high-upside option, his injury history likely should have deterred the Braves from pursuing him in the first place, as he ultimately didn’t sign a high-upside deal.
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