Phillies Loosely Linked To Red Sox Slugger Amid Stellar Season

Boston seemingly are setting themselves up for a fire sale

Scott Neville | Jun 12, 2024

May 19, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Tyler O'Neill (17) reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

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There has been plenty of talk regarding the Boston Red Sox's uncomfortable position with the July 30 Major League Baseball trade deadline swiftly approaching.

Boston continues to hang around .500 and will have some difficult decisions to make barring a drastic change in performance -- good or bad -- which would make the choice for them. With that said, it's clear to those watching the Red Sox with a close eye that this year's club is not built for a deep playoff run.

While Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow already has started to devise a game plan for the organization to push their chips in this summer -- it's still much more likely that he determines to play for 2025 and beyond.

If that is the case, the Red Sox will sell their impending free agents to the highest bidders and their best realistic position-player asset could be a perfect addition to the Philadelphia Phillies.

"Might Philadelphia be where Luis Robert Jr. ends up? If not him, maybe they can get Tyler O'Neill or Michael Conforto if the Red Sox or (San Francisco) Giants sputter into selling," Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller wrote Tuesday.

O'Neill is hitting .250 with 17 extra-base hits including 11 home runs, 18 RBIs and a .854 OPS (137 OPS+) in 44 games played this season.

The 28-year-old has been battling knee inflammation but could be a strong addition to the Phillies assuming that issue is resolved ahead of the deadline.

Philadelphia has a mix of sluggers that cannot field and serviceable defensive players that cannot hit. O'Neill has two Gold Gloves in his trophy case and well above-average offensive production this season.

It goes without saying that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will go all-in at the deadline with an aggressive nature and the best record in the big leagues.

Adding O'Neill should be one of many moves the esteemed executive should seriously consider. He won't be quiet, nor will he hesitate to deal prospects to improve his chances of capturing the third World Series ring of his career.

More MLB: Red Sox Reinstate Slugger; DFA Former All-Star Weeks After Trading For Him

Published Jun 12, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu