Insider: St. Louis Cardinals Outfielder "Will Be Traded"

The St. Louis Cardinals are poised for another solid year in contention for the NL Central Division crown. But the team is still working on balancing their roster, as they have a glut of players at one position, and a lack of depth at another.

MLB Network Insider and former major league general manager Jim Bowden explained this morning on MLB Network Radio:

They've got too many outfielders, and someone's going to be traded. From what I'm told... Tyler O'Neil is going to be the odd man out. I think he's the guy that gets traded at some point. 

I think he's a very interesting trade target for a lot of teams. The power is real with him, if he can stay healthy. So that is a very interesting name between now and the trade deadline.

Bowden goes on to explain that the Cards will need to use their outfield excess to add more pitching, and O'Neill is likely the way they'll do it. 

The 27-year-old Canadian outfielder is a two-time Gold Glover (2020, 2021), who hit a snag in his career last season with injuries. After blasting 34 homers with 80 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and a .912 OPS in 2021, he was limited to just 96 games last season, and produced just 14 dingers to go along with 14 SBs, 58 RBIs and a disappointing .700 OPS, though he still registered as a league-average hitter with an OPS+ of 101. 

 Photo: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports