… And that is why you progress the left area wall again in. On Saturday, the Orioles jumped into the free agent market in search of upside, inking two veterans who, once they’re at their finest, have the power to rival essentially the most fearsome sluggers within the recreation.
Outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who bashed 32 house runs over simply 113 video games with the Purple Sox, signed a three-year, $49.5 million deal that can make him an Oriole via his age-32 season. Catcher Gary Sánchez, who turned 32 simply final week, signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal. Each gamers are right-handed batters with a number of 30-homer seasons underneath their belts, which is to say that till the Orioles introduced a couple of weeks in the past that their left area wall would not be positioned method the hell out in Towson, each may need significantly thought-about passing on a proposal to play in Baltimore and watch all their would-be house runs die within the left fielder’s glove. (Truthfully, I’m largely joking right here. O’Neill and Sánchez have sufficient energy that they’re among the many small cohort of gamers who didn’t actually have to fret about Walltimore.)
Ben Clemens predicted that O’Neill would signal for 3 years and $45 million, whereas our crowdsourced estimate was $50 million. Congratulations readers, you’re collectively smarter than Ben! One other technique to view the scenario is that Ben’s quantity had baked into it some very respectable issues about O’Neill going ahead, however given the season he simply had, one crew was certain to take a big gamble on his upside. The Orioles have Cedric Mullins locked in as their middle fielder for yet one more 12 months and Colton Cowser, contemporary off a second-place end within the Rookie of the 12 months voting, in left. With Anthony Santander a free agent and Austin Hays gone, that leaves the left-handed Heston Kjerstad and the right-handed O’Neill. O’Neill ran an enormous 215 wRC+ in opposition to lefties in 2024, and he’s acquired a profession wRC+ of 152 in opposition to them. In opposition to righties, these numbers are 91 in 2024 and 104 over his profession. The crew will possible hope to maintain him contemporary by letting him relaxation in opposition to the occasional righty.
O’Neill is just about tailored to take over the slugging nook outfielder function not too long ago vacated by Santander. The 2 gamers are so comparable, actually, that they share the very same profession .246 batting common, .223 ISO, and .469 slugging proportion! Nonetheless, there are some key variations between the 2. For starters, Santander is an equal-opportunity masher who options small platoon splits. Maybe a very powerful space during which O’Neill can’t match Santander is availability. Over the previous three seasons, Santander has performed in 460 video games, whereas O’Neill has appeared in simply 281 due to a litany of accidents to a different litany of physique elements. He’s gone on the IL six occasions over the previous 4 years.
Even when he’s on the sector, O’Neill has an extended technique to go if he hopes to match Santander by way of consistency. Santander mashed 44 house runs final season and hasn’t hit fewer than 28 since 2021. The Orioles at the moment are relying on O’Neill to maintain a scorching bat for the second 12 months operating, and thus far in his profession that’s been a tall order. He broke out in a serious method in 2021, operating a 143 wRC+ with 34 homers whereas enjoying in 138 video games. Nonetheless, in harm truncated 2022 and 2023 seasons, he was barely under common on the plate, after which the Cardinals traded him to Boston final offseason. With the Inexperienced Monster to intention at, O’Neill bounced all the way in which again to a 131 wRC+ regardless of lacking time with knee irritation, a concussion, and a leg an infection. If he manages to place up even a league-average season on the plate, it will likely be the primary time he’s ever accomplished so for 2 seasons in a row.
All these accidents have additionally slowed O’Neill down within the area. As soon as thought-about a wonderful defender who may handle all three nook spots, he’s been nearer to common than good over the previous three seasons. In 2024, for the primary time, Statcast’s fielding run values noticed him as costing his crew a number of runs. His dash velocity now makes him barely under common for an outfielder; it could rebound if he’s in a position to keep away from leg accidents in 2025, nevertheless it’s uncertain that the Orioles count on O’Neill to contribute a lot on protection. He’ll possible get his fair proportion of at-bats as a DH.
I’m not portray too sophisticated an image right here: O’Neill is a prototypical three true outcomes slugger. All the identical, you may be stunned to see simply how shut he lives to the sting. His stat line is a examine in extremes. In 2024, he ran an unpleasant 33.6% strikeout fee. Amongst batters with at the very least 450 plate appearances, that was the second-highest fee in baseball. In case you’re questioning why he strikes out so usually, it’s not as a result of he chases all the things he sees. He runs a below-average chase fee, and his 11.2% stroll fee ranked twenty first amongst that cohort. It’s simply that he whiffs loads, rating within the backside eight by way of zone contact fee, total contact fee, and squared-up fee. He’s an excessive instance of the swing-hard-in-case-you-make-contact participant, and the Orioles are placing some actual cash behind the idea that he’ll each keep wholesome and proceed to make sufficient contact.
As a backup catcher, Sánchez is probably not anticipated to play as massive an on a regular basis function as O’Neill, however in case you think about a part of his duties to be to assist to maintain Adley Rutschman wholesome and acting at 100%, then it’s exhausting to think about a extra essential task. Rutschman began the 2024 season wanting, effectively, like Adley Rutschman. However he suffered a thumb harm in late June, and ran a wRC+ of simply 61 from June 30 onward. (For what it’s price, the Orioles have mentioned publicly that Rutschman’s poor play wasn’t as a consequence of any particular harm.) It wasn’t by any means a misplaced season for the younger celebrity, as he’d banked a 138 wRC+ up till the harm. Nonetheless, he completed with a 104 wRC+ and a pair of.8 WAR, the worst marks of his profession. Furthermore, Rutschman ran a 138 wRC+ as a DH final season, in comparison with simply 88 as a catcher. Regardless of his excellence behind the dish, the Orioles will nearly actually be trying to let him spend a bit much less time in a squat. In different phrases, they completely want a dependable backup to take over the function that James McCann crammed over the past two seasons.
The Orioles have been reportedly inquisitive about bringing again McCann, however McCann wished extra years than they have been prepared to present. With shiny prospect Samuel Basallo ready within the wings, the crew solely wished a backup on a one-year deal. Sánchez is a wonderfully stable selection for that function. He’s performed in at the very least 75 video games in every of the previous eight seasons (apart from 2020, when he caught 49 of the Yankees’ 60 video games). His framing numbers ticked down a bit in the course of the 2024 season, however he’s grown right into a stable defensive catcher. “I can’t say sufficient about him,” Blake Snell advised reporters in July. “I really like throwing to him. I really like the connection that we now have. I really like all the things. We’re all the time on the identical web page. He understands me, I perceive him. It’s been a number of enjoyable.”
Sánchez is not the hitter he was when he first broke onto the scene, however he’s run a 98 wRC+ over the previous 4 seasons, which places him within the high 20 of all catchers over that interval (minimal 800 PAs). And it’s not as if that fearsome slugger is gone fully. The sunshine-tower energy remains to be there, and when Sánchez goes effectively, it’s a sight to behold. In 2024, he snapped off two 25-game streaks during which he ran a wRC+ of 150 or higher. It’s simply that in between have been a pair streaks during which his wRC+ was 57 or worse.
While you take these two strikes collectively, it actually appears to be like just like the Orioles assume there’s one thing they’ll unlock in a few righties with big whiff charges and exit velocities. Nonetheless, it’s doable that that is only a coincidence, they usually don’t have a particular plan to drag off an upside transfer. O’Neill fills a not too long ago vacated function, and the Orioles have the expertise to cowl for him ought to harm or underperformance strike. Likewise, Sánchez is a reliable catcher who was prepared to take a stopgap deal. The 2 gamers actually make sense in Baltimore, and possibly it’s simply that easy.
