Red Sox acquire Canadian slugger Tyler O'Neill from Cardinals

The Boston Red Sox have acquired Canadian slugging outfielder Tyler O'Neill in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.

In return, the Cardinals acquired RHP Nick Robertson and minor-league RHP Victor Santos.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman and USA Today's Bob Nightengale were first to report the agreement.

“As we look to add pitching depth, as well as address concerns on potential playing time in the outfield, we felt this deal worked well in addressing both of those issues,” said Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak in a press release.  “We are excited to add Nick to our bullpen, and we feel Victor gives us added depth in our minor league system.”

O'Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., is a six-year veteran with the Cardinals who has won two Gold Glove awards.

The 28-year-old finished eighth in National League MVP voting in 2021 when he hit a career-high 34 home runs. However, in the two seasons since, injuries and a diminished role made O'Neil a trade candidate for a Cardinals team that disappointed in 2023.

MLB Trade Rumours projects O'Neill will earn $5.5 million in 2024, his final year of arbitration.

Nick Robertson, 25, was acquired by the Red Sox ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline last season in the trade that sent Enrique Hernandez to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen between the two teams and made one start in his time with the Red Sox. He finished the year with a 6.04 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched.

Victor Santos, 23, missed the entire 2023 season with a right elbow. However, in seven appearances in the Dominican League this winter he has gone 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA while notching 23 strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched. Over his minor league career, the righty has a 3.72 ERA with 403 strikeouts in 445.0 innings pitched.