It did not take long for the Cardinals to leave the Winter Meetings and find the pitching-oriented deal they wanted, just as it took only a few days for the Boston Red Sox to move an outfielder and replace him with a Cardinal.
Tyler O’Neill, an outfielder with the Cardinals, was moved to Boston in exchange for two pitchers, only one of whom has any major league experience.
In the shadow of the Green Monster at Fenway Park, the two-time Gold Glove winner in left field will get to play against that defense.
The Cardinals acquired minor-league starter Victor Santos and reliever Nick Robertson, both right-handed pitchers, in exchange for O’Neill.
The teams disclosed the trade information shortly after the post-dispatch, claiming an individual with knowledge of the transaction published an article on the move on Friday night.
This past season, Robertson, 25, made appearances in eighteen major league games, divided equally between the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. Near the trade deadline, he was transferred from Los Angeles to Boston.
With 26 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings pitched in the majors, he had a 6.04 ERA. He played in 42 games in Class AAA with both teams, striking out 58 batters in 42 2/3 innings. In the lower leagues, opponents batted.205 against him and finished 4-1 with a 3.16 ERA.
Due to an elbow injury, Santos, 23, was sidelined for the 2023 season. He was 10-12 with a 4.97 ERA in 28 games (25 starts) with Red Sox affiliates in 2022, when he made his last appearance in a game. He was promoted to Class AAA, where he pitched 43 2/3 innings with a 4.95 ERA, 47 strikeouts, and 14 walks in nine starts.
Santos has performed admirably in the Dominican Republic this winter, going 3-0 in seven games with a 2.96 ERA. 27 1/3 innings have seen 23 strikeouts from him.
During the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, this past week, the Red Sox dealt Alex Verdugo to the Yankees. The Cardinals spent the entire week searching for the outfielder who would be the best match, but they weren’t sure if the price would be paid before other hitters and outfielders on the market made a move.
The Cardinals hoped to get pitching depth or a big-league reliever in exchange for O’Neill.
O’Neill, 28, is one of the few available outfielders who had a career 6.0 WAR season, but injuries have hampered him over the past two seasons.
With 34 home runs and a.912 OPS in 2021, O’Neill demonstrated the uncommon ability to combine exceptional sprint speed and outstanding exit velocity. After accumulating further injuries, he hit.231 in 72 games in 2023, with an on-base percentage of.312 and a slugging percentage of.403.
During the 2017 trade deadline, O’Neill was acquired by the Cardinals from Seattle, where he was sent straight up for lefty Marco Gonzales.
O’Neill will be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2024 season and is approaching his final year of eligibility for arbitration.
The trade has the potential to clear around $5.5 million in salary for the Cardinals, who remain in pursuit of a free-agent reliever (or two) for the bullpen. Robertson will take O’Neill’s spot on the 40-man roster.
In Addition:
Will new Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow make dramatic additions to the pitching staff this offseason?
The former hurler has placed a priority on the rotation in just about every appearance he’s had with the media and reportedly has been very active in pursuit of free-agent starters.
The Red Sox, who are rumored to be planning to withdraw from the bidding, have long been interested in one of the best pitchers available.
Jon Montgomery, a left-hander who can argue he has outperformed Aaron Nola, the $172 million man of the Philadelphia Phillies over the past three seasons, seems unlikely to be brought back by the Texas Rangers, who are facing financial uncertainty due to the possible loss of their local television rights deal, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote on Friday.
In 188 2/3 innings last season, Montgomery recorded a 3.20 ERA, 166 to 48 strikeouts to walks, a.247 batting average against, and a 1.19 walk-to-hit ratio.
The 30-year-old continued to get stronger down the stretch, going 4-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 31 innings last postseason on his way to the Rangers’ first World Series Championship.
With the Rangers seemingly falling out of the mix and the St. Louis Cardinals electing to sign Sonny Gray, Montgomery likely will not return to either of his 2023 rosters.
The Red Sox value Montgomery above all starters outside of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and are in line to make him a significant offer. A lot of people, including oddsmakers, have noticed that the Montgomery sweepstakes are heading to Boston or Texas.
With the southpaw spending this offseason in Boston because of his wife’s job obligations, all the pieces seem to be in place for Montgomery and the Red Sox to work together.
Given the New York Yankees acquisition of Juan Soto and the Toronto Blue Jays appearing to be in line to add Shohei Ohtani, the Red Sox could desperately use some upgrades to the pitching staff.
Montgomery would be a strong start in what could become a franchise-altering offseason.
