Cards made O'Neill trade to add pitching depth, address concerns on playing time in OF

Langley Blaze and Junior National Team alum Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) was traded to the Boston Red Sox by the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.

December 8, 2023

Official St. Louis Cardinals News Release

ST. LOUIS, MO. – The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that they have acquired right-handed pitchers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for outfielder Tyler O’Neill.

Robertson, 25, will be added to the team’s 40-player Major League roster, while Santos, 23, will be assigned to the minors.

“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. “We are excited to add Nick to our bullpen, and we feel Victor gives us added depth in our minor league system.”

The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Robertson debuted in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that selected him in the 2019 MLB Draft (Seventh round) out of James Madison University. He was traded to the Red Sox on July 25, 2023 in a three-player swap that sent Kiké Hernández to Los Angeles.

Used primarily as a reliever, Robertson has fanned 231 batters over his 184 2/3 innings pitched as a professional, including 26 in his 22 1/3 combined innings as a rookie this past season for the Dodgers and Red Sox.

In triple-A last season, Robertson struck out 58 batters in 42 2/3 combined innings between Oklahoma City and Worcester.

Santos, a native of Villa Tapia, Dominican Republic was originally signed as an international free agent by Philadelphia in November, 2016. He was traded to Boston in July of 2021 and earned a non-roster invite to the Red Sox Major League spring training camp this past February.

The 6-foot-1, 222-pound Santos missed the 2023 season due to arm discomfort, but has been pitching recently in the Dominican Republic Winter League (LIDOM) for Leones Del Escogido, posting a 3-0 mark with a 2.96 ERA in seven games (5 starts).

Santos combined for 145 innings pitched in 2022 between the Portland Sea Dogs (double-A) and Worcester Red Sox (triple-A), going 10-12 with a 1.27 WHIP in his 29 games (25 starts).