The Philadelphia Phillies have been rumored to be looking for outfield help this winter. Whether via free agency or the robust trade market.

One name that has been thrown around is a possibility was that of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill.

However, that will likely no longer be a possibility as Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that O’Neill has been traded to the Boston Red Sox.

However, the return is not known, so it will be interesting to see just what the Red Sox gave up for O’Neill. Perhaps it could have been too much for Philadelphia to match.

O’Neill was the apparent odd man out in St. Louis, despite owning a career .776 OPS and a 112 OPS+, 12-percent above MLB average.

The righty spent most of his time in left or center field and is a relatively versatile defender.

His above average approach at the plate coupled with his defensive capabilities made him a decent fit for the Phillies to help alleviate the defensive liabilities of Kyle Schwarber in left while having the ability to also play in center.

Bryce Harper signed the largest free agent contract in MLB history back in 2019. Harper signed a 13-year $330 million deal, $5 million more than Giancarlo Stanton’s $325 million contract.

This deal, unless traded, keeps Bryce and the Philadelphia Phillies together until his age-38 season, which is another eight seasons. However, agent Scott Boras said on Wednesday that Harper’s looking to sign an extension with the club.

ESPN reported the following on Boras’s comments.

“Bryce has certainly expressed to them that he wants to end his career in Philadelphia,” Boras said. “I’ve certainly told [president of baseball operations] Dave [Dombrowski] I think Bryce is a franchise player. … He came there for the fans. Apart from my advice, he goes, ‘I just want to go and make sure I can recruit players in Philadelphia, let the fans in Philadelphia know that I’m going to be there for the duration, that I am committed.’ I think he’s been an important voice for them to attract major free agents.”

As Harper now transitions to first base, there’s a chance we could see him playing until his 40s. The 31-year-old showed no signs of slowing down in 2023 either. He posted a .293/.401/.499 slash line and hit 21 home runs. He played in just 126 games after recovering from Tommy John.

Harper has won an MVP and even taken Philadelphia to the World Series. Still, he has more goals to achieve, says Boras.