Orioles Risky Free Agent Signing Showing His Abilities Early on When Healthy

So far, the addition of Tyler O'Neill is paying dividends for the Baltimore Orioles.

Mar 27, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles right ielder Tyler O'Neill (9) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

With the Baltimore Orioles off to a solid start to their campaign, the team has started to see some of their new faces making a positive impact, especially in the starting lineup. 

One of those new pieces is slugging outfielder Tyler O'Neill, who the Orioles brought in on a three-year, $49.5 million deal to replace All-Star outfielder Anthony Santander (now with the Toronto Blue Jays).

So far, O’Neill has been exactly what Baltimore is looking for. While he failed to extend his historic Opening Day home run streak, he's slashing .444/.476/.667 with one home run and five RBI, picking up the slack while Gunnar Henderson's been out. 

The right-handed slugger is coming off an excellent year with the Boston Red Sox, slashing .241/.336/.511 with 31 home runs and 61 RBI for the Orioles' AL East rivals.

However, while he has immense power and plays Gold Glove-caliber defense, staying on the field and inconsistency have held him back from stardom, preventing him from realizing his full potential. 

The 29-year-old has only played in over 100 games twice in his career so far, which has limited his overall numbers. 

In the two years where he played over 100 games, he topped 30 home runs in both of them. 

Obviously, the key for O’Neill to be successful is to keep him on the field. This will be a challenge for the Orioles, who are relying on him to be a power bat from the right-hand side of the plate. 

So far, he has had a positive impact on the team, but that could all change if he starts to miss time. This was certainly a risky signing by Baltimore, but as shown early on, O’Neill can be an impact player when healthy and is capable of anchoring the lineup.