Tyler O'Neill

There was perhaps no more obvious change of scenery candidate last offseason than O'Neill, and he got to wipe the slate clean when the Cardinals traded him to the Red Sox in December. The hulking outfielder went on to slug 31 home runs, with much of that damage coming against left-handed pitching (he slashed .313/.430/.750 versus southpaws). Among players with at least 450 plate appearances, only Zack Gelof had a worse strikeout rate than O'Neill's 33.6 percent mark. However, he did his best to counterbalance that with a career-high 11.6 percent walk rate. O'Neill made three different trips to the injured list and will remain a good bet to miss time again in 2025, but he was able to avoid any long-term absences in 2024. The Orioles signed O'Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal just weeks after announcing they were moving in their right field fences. Baltimore has the depth to give O'Neill strategic off days against tough righties, but he should hit pretty regularly in the middle of a strong lineup. Read Past Outlooks