Cardinals News: St. Louis, Tyler O’Neill have arbitration hearing

The St. Louis Cardinals and Tyler O’Neill had their arbitration hearing on Friday morning to determine the All-Star outfielders 2022 salary.

Just a year after the St. Louis Cardinals took Jack Flaherty to an arbitration hearing, which risked ruining their relationship, they have once again done it – but this time to star outfielder Tyler O’Neill.

On Friday, O’Neill, his agent Scott Boras and other representatives, and Cardinals team officials gathered for an arbitration hearing to determine his 2022 salary. The negotiation leaves O’Neill and his representatives fighting for the salary he believes he’s worth while the Cardinals openly tell him why he is not worth that amount.

The process is often ugly and, as Flaherty’s case underscored, can impact a relationship between player and team. O’Neill told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that it’s something on his mind. “It’s definitely something I think about when I’m going to bed. But I’m not dragging it on the field, not dragging it into the batter’s box with me. That would not be fair to stay. It’s a task that needs to get done.”

The difference in offers is a mere $750,000. The Cardinals offered a $3.4 million salary while O’Neill requested a $4.15 million salary.

O’Neill and the Cardinals were discussing a multi-year deal to avoid arbitration and at one point there was optimism that a deal would get done. Ultimately, it didn’t, and those reasons remain unknown. But getting his 2022 salary settled and avoiding going to future arbitration hearings will be critical for both sides, especially since he has established himself as a cornerstone player following a season in which he hit .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs and 80 RBI.

Both O’Neill and the Cardinals should have an answer on the arbitration hearing in the next couple days. It’ll bring peace of mind to O’Neill and could bring better results at the plate following a slow start to the regular season.