OF Tyler O’Neill traded to Red Sox
With all of the confusion surrounding Shohei Ohtani, Blue Jays fans got some more bad news. OF Tyler O’Neill was traded to the Boston Red Sox for RP Nick Robertson and P Victor Santos on Friday evening. O’Neill hit 1 home run and registered 2 RBIs in the opening series against the Blue Jays. The Canadian outfielder had a decent season in 2023 with a .715 OPS and a 97 wRC+. His best season, however, came in 2021 where he crushed 34 dingers with a .912 OPS. This likely means that the Red Sox are out on OFs Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr..
RP Nick Robertson is an MLB-ready reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals. While Robertson had a 6.04 ERA in 2023 with the Dodgers/Red Sox, his GroundBall% was a solid 47.1% and a K/9 of 10.48. He is a solid reliever to add to Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos. Victor Santos struggled in 2022 AAA with a 4.95 ERA. However, he averaged over a strikeout per inning during his campaign. Both players are moldable young arms that will fit right into a rebuilding Cardinals team.
3B Jeimer Candelario Signs With Reds
3B Jeimer Candelario signed a 3-year, $45 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds on December 7. The 30-year-old veteran is coming off one of his best seasons of his career, tallying an .807 OPS and a 117 wRC+ over the 2023 campaign. Candelario played both 3B and 1B in 2023 and will be a welcome addition to one of the most up-and-coming teams in MLB. Because of the Reds boatload of talent in the infield, one of their young infielders will likely be traded prior to 2024 Opening Day.
Other Moves Around MLB
- Angels sign Ex-Blue Jay RP Adam Cimber to 1-year, $1.65 million deal
- Diamondbacks sign SP Eduardo Rodriguez to 4-year, $80 million deal
- Mets sign Michael Tonkin to 1-year, $1 million deal
- Orioles sign RP Craig Kimbrel to 1-year, $13 million deal
- Nationals sign UTILITY Nick Senzel to 1-year, $2 million deal
- Mets sign RP Jorge Lopez to 1-year, $2 million deal