The Boston Red Sox’s lineup certainly will look a little different in 2025, but could the club bring a familiar face back?
Boston’s biggest offensive question mark heading into the 2025 season is how the team is going to balance the lineup. The Red Sox were very lefty-heavy in the lineup in 2024, and that needs to change to make things more difficult for opposing pitchers.
That isn’t to say that the Red Sox didn’t have any right-handed bright spots. Tyler O’Neill shined after being traded to Boston before the season. He had 31 home runs and was a dangerous piece of Boston’s lineup.
He will be a free agent this winter, and it’s unclear if he will be back. While this is the case, MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam urged the team to reunite with him with the $21 million qualifying offer.
“Quite obviously, a qualifying offer (value: $21.5 million) is an overpay for O’Neill,” McAdam said. “On the open market, it’s doubtful he’d get an AAV of more than $14-15 million. So why give him this kind of salary? Answer: term. O’Neill is notoriously injury-prone. He’s played more than 100 games just twice in his career, and he’s not likely to become more dependable as he gets into his 30s.
“Still, his 31 homers and .511 slugging percentage shouldn’t be discounted. In a perfect world, the Red Sox will find someone to take Masataka Yoshida off their hands, allowing O’Neill to serve mostly as the (designated hitter) with only occasional forays into the outfield. Keeping their commitment to a single year, meanwhile, allows for the Sox to more fully integrate Roman Anthony and perhaps Kristian Campbell into their lineup going forward.”
O’Neill shined in Boston in 2025, and the club certainly should try to bring him back.
