San Francisco Giants Reportedly Pursuing Gold Glove Outfielder With 30+ Home Run Pop

According to former Major League Baseball General Manager Jim Bowden, who made an appearance on KNBR on Tuesday July 29, 2025, the San Francisco Giants have talked with the Baltimore Orioles about acquiring outfielder Tyler O’Neil. 

“Sounds like they [the Giants] are looking for a right-handed power hitter,” Bowden reported. Bowden said that opposing GMs have told him that directly. 

Bowden also reported that the Giants are targeting Chicago White Sox star OF Luis Robert, who they have been tied to in the past, and injured Cleveland Guardians OF Lane Thomas. 

“The Giants have been aggressive looking for another power bat,” Bowden said. 

Would Baltimore Trade O’Neil? 

Whether or not the Orioles would consider trading Tyler O’Neil is unclear. 

For one thing, both the Orioles and O’Neil have had a disappointing season. 

The Orioles, who made the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, are in last place in the American League East so far in 2025 with a 48-58 record heading into the deadline. The logical strategy for them at the 2025 Trade Deadline would be to become soft sellers, keeping their young core intact but dealing away expendable veterans for younger players or prospects. 

O’Neil has had a disappointing season. He’s dealt with injuries for most of the season and when he’s been healthy, he hasn’t been great. He’s hitting only .214 with 6 home runs and 17 RBI. 

But O’Neil has been much better as of very recently. In his last 5 games, he is hitting .438 with 7 hits, 3 home runs, 6 RBIs and 6 runs scored. 

He’s also on a relatively team friendly deal. He signed a 3-year, $49.5 million contract with the Orioles this past offseason. 

It’s not out of the question that his recent stretch of elite play has reestablished the Orioles’ faith in him, and that they’ll hang onto him if another team doesn’t offer a fantastic trade package in exchange. 

But if the Orioles have any concerns about his durability or struggles this season, O’Neil could be a great under-the-radar target for the Giants to go after. 

Does O’Neil’s Fit With the Giants?

Tyler O’Neil does provide a solid defensive presence in the outfield for a Giants team that needs one. 

Heliot Ramos has struggled defensively in left field this season. O’Neil on the other hand won back to back Gold Gloves with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020 and 2021. If the Giants want to move Ramos to DH, they could slot O’Neil in as their left fielder. 

On the other side of things, if the Giants are chasing O’Neil as a replacement for Mike Yastrzemski, he is a solid defender replacing another solid defender, but he most likely provides a huge upgrade at bat. 

O’Neil certainly has had his fair share of struggles this season. But just a year ago with the Boston Red Sox, he hit 31 home runs in only 113 games. His last five games have clearly shown what baseball fans know to be true: when healthy, Tyler O’Neil is an elite power bat. 

The biggest concern the Giants should have with O’Neil is his durability. In his eight year MLB career, he has only played over 100 games twice and has never played more than 138 games. 

Yastrzemski, on the other hand, has played in 100+ games in all of his 5 full seasons so far in his career. Ramos has also reached 100+ games in both of the first two full seasons of his career. 

If the Giants trade for Tyler O’Neil, they want Tyler O’Neil to play. The trade is not worth it if he immediately goes down with another injury. If the Giants wanted to call up one of their minor leaguers they’d just do that. 

But O’Neil is still only 30 years old and has that team-friendly contract for two more seasons after 2025. If he can figure out how to stay healthy, he has several years of his physical prime left at good value. 

What do you think, Giants fans? Should San Francisco take a risk and make a strong push for Tyler O’Neil? 

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