Date for Tyler O’Neill, St. Louis Cardinals arbitration hearing revealed

A date for Tyler O’Neill and the St. Louis Cardinals arbitration hearing has been revealed as the two sides continue to talk about an extension.

There was a report a couple weeks ago that star outfielder Tyler O’Neill and the St. Louis Cardinals were in talks on a multi-year contract extension. There was nothing done, but oftentimes when a report like that emerges, a deal soon follows.

That was not the case here, as O’Neill did not reach an agreement with the Cardinals before Opening Day. If no deal was reached, the two sides would go to a dreaded arbitration hearing, something each side would like to avoid.

With no deal in place, O’Neill and the Cardinals are scheduled to go to an arbitration hearing the first week of March, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The two sides remain in contact about an extension, but O’Neill told Goold that there is “now a clear deadline.”

Not good.

Deadlines often spur action, so there remains hope that a deal will get done, but the fact that O’Neill and the Cardinals could not reach an agreement before Opening Day is concerning. And it raises at least some doubt whether they will be able to get a deal done before a potential hearing.

It’s unclear just how far apart the two sides are in negotiations, but if it’s close, the Cardinals would be very smart to get a deal done as soon as possible. O’Neill has emerged as the team’s cornerstone player in the outfield, providing elite offense and defense, and risking that relationship to save a couple million in the long haul is not a risk worth taking.

Perhaps there is progress as the hearing date gets closer. But the thought of the Cardinals going to another arbitration hearing is becoming increasingly realistic.