Cubs Free Agent Target: Tyler O'Neill |
Unlike previous years, when pitching dominated the free agent market, this could be the year of the hitter, as plenty of franchise-altering bats will be available. That all starts and stops with Juan Soto, who is expected to get one of the biggest contracts in MLB History when it is all said and done.
Most of the action in free agency from a hitting standpoint may be a tad slower, as players may want to wait until Soto comes off the board. Once that happens, guys like Pete Alonso, Teoscar Hernandez, Alex Bregman, and Anthony Santander, among others, will start to pick and choose their destinations, as Soto is the key to the entire offseason. Despite a plethora of game-changing bats, there are also several excellent bats on the market, and one bat that is being overlooked could be a target for the Cubs in OF Tyler O'Neill. Given the state of the Cubs OF, most of you are wondering why the Cubs would go after another OF. The answer is simple: Cody Bellinger is not only on the trade block but could be moved to 1B depending on whether Michael Busch is traded or not, which would create an opening for another player in the OF. While most fans would love to see Owen Caissie take over that spot, there is a chance that he could be used in a trade to acquire some pitching, knowing that all options need to be considered for the Cubs. O'Neill may not be the first player you think of when looking at Cubs targets, but the more you look at it, the more it makes sense as a possible fit. Despite getting just 411 plate appearances last season, O'Neill flashed plenty of power as he connected for 31 homers. This was the type of power the St. Louis Cardinals expected to see from him before trading him away. Still, for some reason, he was never able to tap into his power consistently enough with the Cardinals. While the 31 homers are something this lineup could use, his overall slash line of .241/.336/.511/.847 could be a bit better, especially the average, but his .847 OPS would be near the top of the Cubs lineup, which is an instant upgrade. Knowing this and knowing that the cost for O'Neill would be far less than some others while still getting solid production, why is there some skepticism surrounding a deal for him? The biggest and most glaring concern is his health, as he has been riddled with injuries throughout his seven-year career. While only one of his injuries has ever been season-ending, he has never had a season with more than 500 at-bats, and that is something you need from an everyday player. He did come close to 500 at-bats in 2021, topping out at 482 that season, which is still his career high. That was also the season he posted his best overall numbers, hitting a career-best .286 and a career-high 34 homers. He also took home the second of his two gold gloves that season and landed in the top 10 in the MVP voting. Regardless of what anyone thinks, that is an outstanding season, one the Cubs lineup could've used last season and one they would be happy to have going forward. For the Cubs to consider this move, you have to think his slugging ability is the main reason, as O'Neill does have a ton of power when healthy. However, Chicago is also going to weigh the downside of signing him. If they can get past his health issues, the struggles against righties are another big hangup, especially if he was to be more of an everyday player. O'Neill has never hit righties well, but he really struggled this past season, hitting a combined .209 off righties. He did manage to connect for 15 of his 31 homers off righties this season, and that came in 283 at-bats, as those numbers are eerily similar to what Patrick Wisdom would do when he made contact. In addition to his struggles against righties, his high strikeout rate continues to climb, and that is something the Cubs lineup has had too much of in the past. O'Neill struck out 159 times last season, or 33. 4% of his plate appearances, which is well above the league average. To put that into perspective, Javy Baez was around 34% in his time with the Cubs, with Wisdom sitting at 37%. That's not good company to be in, even if the production and skill level are better than both. High strikeout numbers from a power hitter are nothing out of the ordinary, and knowing that he has gone through some injuries, the overall cost for him is going to come much cheaper than expected, which does play into the Cubs' hands.
