NASHVILLE, TN - No, Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak did not tank any trade value Tyler O’Neill might have by openly admitting that the team was hoping to trade the oft-injured outfielder.
Mozeliak opened eyes (and ears) when he indicated, during an appearance on MLB Network Radio, that the club was looking to trade O’Neill. He then later doubled-down on those comments when meeting with the St. Louis media indicating that it was connected to the team not being able to give the number of at-bats to O’Neill that he desires.
The comments from Mozeliak were jarring because he rarely, if ever, identifies a player by name that the club is actively shopping on the trade market.
For some fans, they took issue with Mozeliak because they felt he torpedoed the opportunity to get much in return for O’Neill. While I understand the sentiment, I can’t disagree with it much more than I already do.
In fact, the idea that these comments could impact O’Neill’s trade value is kind of silly.
It’s no secret that O’Neill was a candidate to be traded. I’ve been talking about it constantly on KMOX. I just did not see where O’Neill fit on the roster for the 2024 Cardinals. If I am smart enough to know O’Neill is likely to be traded, the rest of the decision-makers across baseball probably know it as well.
O’Neill made just under five million dollars in 2023 and is likely to get a small raise in arbitration for 2024. While 5.5 million dollars is a relatively-low salary, the Cardinals would not have tendered him a contract, knowing they were likely to move him, if they were not confident that they could get another club to pick up his salary while also trading back a player or a package of players that the Cardinals would be happy with.
Reports also indicate that the Cardinals dangled O’Neill at the trade deadline last season so they should have a pretty good understanding of how the rest of the industry views him.
There is certainly risk involved here. There is the risk that they can’t work out a deal and the club is on the hook for 5.5 million dollars. There is also the risk of going through the awkwardness for O’Neill if he is back with the club after being publicly shopped. I just think that risk is miniscule as I believe the club will find a trade offer that they like.
At his best, O’Neill is a legit All-Star. In 2021 he hit .286 with 34 home runs finishing 8th in the MVP vote. At his worst, he can’t stay on the field. He has only played in 168 games over the last two seasons hitting about .230 with only 23 home runs over those two seasons.
Mozeliak did not tank O’Neill’s trade value by saying out loud what we all already knew but O’Neill has not helped vault up his value with his performance from the past two seasons.