Baltimore Orioles New Addition's Injury History Fuels Worrisome Contract

The Baltimore Orioles added power to their lineup in free agency, but his injury history makes the decision a dicey one.

Feb 27, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O'Neill (9) hits a 3-run home run during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

With the start of the regular season right around the corner for the Baltimore Orioles, their offseason will certainly be looked at if the team struggles in 2025. 

This winter, the Orioles had a couple of key free agents in Anthony Santander and Corbin Burnes, who were two of the best players available on the market. 

For Baltimore, it didn’t seem like there was much effort to bring back Santander, but the team surely would have liked to bring back their ace. 

Spending has been a hot topic for the Orioles in recent years, but with new ownership, the expectation this winter was that they would start to increase their payroll. 

They certainly did that this offseason, but yet, while they added some players, they lost two key pieces. 

Since Baltimore hasn’t spent much on free agents in recent years, there aren’t too many bad contracts on the books for them. However, one recent deal has the potential to be an issue. 

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the worst contract for the Orioles heading into the season. Unfortunately, it was the three-year, $49.5 million contract that they just gave to slugger Tyler O'Neill. 

“It's not that O'Neill isn't an excellent player when he's on the field, but availability matters. A year ago, O'Neill played in 113 games as a member of the Boston Red Sox. That was actually the most games he's played in since 2021," he wrote.

When healthy, the 29-year-old slugger can be one of the best power hitters in baseball, and he was the player that Baltimore seemingly chose to replace Santander’s production with. 

Last season with the Boston Red Sox, he had an excellent campaign. O’Neill slashed .241/.336/.511 with 31 home runs and 61 RBI. However, those numbers could have been even better, but he only played 113 games. 

Staying on the field has been the main issue for O’Neill over the course of his career. He has only been able to play in 100 or more games twice in his career. 

While he is a very good player when healthy, the best ability is availability. 

When looking at the contract for O’Neill, if he stays healthy it could be a steal for them. However, he does have an opt-out after 2025, that with a successful and healthy campaign would likely be exercised. 

Based on his career thus far, it is going to be impossible to rely on the 29-year-old to stay healthy for an entire season. 

If injuries do continue, and he misses extended periods of time over the three-year deal, this could become a terrible contract for a team that doesn’t spend much.