O'Neill, 30 in June, entered his walk year having just been shipped from the Cardinals to the Red Sox. While he had earned down-ballot MVP consideration with a fantastic 2021 season in St. Louis, back-to-back down seasons combined with a glut of viable outfield options left O'Neill as the odd man out with the club.
While O'Neill struggled with his health between two trips to the injured list this past year, he performed at a high level when healthy enough to take the field. In 113 games for Boston, he slashed a strong .241/.336/.511 with a 131 wRC+. That production came with an unsightly 33.6% strikeout rate, though O'Neill made up for it somewhat with 31 homers and an 11.2% walk rate.
Even with those concerns, however, it's easy to see O'Neill's fit in Baltimore. The Orioles have a deep position player mix that can help to cover for O'Neill when he's injured and perhaps even give him occasional days off against tough right-handed opponents.
O'Neill's phenomenal numbers against left-handed pitching could provide a massive boost to a heavily left-handed Orioles lineup.
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