Ranking free agent outfielders for KC Royals to target heading into 2025

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2. Tyler O’Neill

The 2024 season was a rebound year for Tyler O'Neill. The 29-year-old slashed .241/.336/.511 with 31 home runs and 66 RBI in 411 at-bats, and according to Baseball Savant, he was in the 98th percentile in barrel rate at an incredible 17.3%. O'Neill's defensive stats left a bit to be desired at -4 OAA, but the two-time Gold Glove winner has plenty of potential to get back to his glory days in the field — if he's healthy.

The biggest concern with O'Neill is his unfortunate injury history. With the St. Louis Cardinals, he managed just 96 games in 2022 due to a sore shoulder and a hamstring injury, and played only 72 games in 2023 because of a lower back strain. He seemed to turn a corner in 2024 with the Boston Red Sox, but still dealt with small issues that limited him to 113 games.

Still, O'Neill is one of the top outfielders available in free agency, and Sportrac projects he will secure a three-year, $48.7 million deal this offseason, which would put his AAV at $16.2 million. While the Royals may not want to offer a multi-year deal, one or even two seasons at $16 million each would likely be within their price range.

The Royals were interested in trading for O'Neill last offseason, but a deal was never struck, and the Cardinals ended up trading him to the Red Sox. Now a free agent, O'Neill would still be a fit for Kansas City's roster, possibly even more so than he was last year. He could slot into middle of the batting lineup and bolster the offensive power from the outfield, which the Royals desperately need.

Plus, if O'Neill can get his fielding back to the level of his Gold Glove Award-winning days, Kansas City will have landed a bargain.

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