Things are going from bad to worse for the Baltimore Orioles, who are now 12 games below .500 and sitting at the bottom of the AL East standings. Manager Brandon Hyde is under pressure, GM Mike Elias is seeing his decisions fall flat, and the few offseason additions haven’t lived up to expectations—most notably, outfielder Tyler O’Neill.
Once a top prospect with the Cardinals, O’Neill had a strong showing with the Red Sox in 2024, posting 2.6 WAR and showing enough potential to earn a $49 million deal with Baltimore. The two-time Gold Glove winner was expected to bring power and solid defense, but so far, only the glove has shown up.
O’Neill’s offensive performance has been underwhelming. He’s batting below .200, offering nowhere near the 30-plus home run production the Orioles paid for. Injuries have also been an issue—he landed on the injured list in late April with recurring neck issues, and although he has returned, his struggles at the plate continue.
Manager Hyde acknowledged the nagging injury, saying the team hoped to get O’Neill healthy again. However, even post-recovery, he’s failed to bounce back or provide the spark the Orioles desperately need.
With three seasons left on a pricey contract, O’Neill is becoming one of the least valuable investments in baseball. While multiple players share responsibility for the Orioles’ rough start, O’Neill is quickly becoming the face of their underperformance.
