he Boston Red Sox certainly could lose a key piece this winter.

Boston’s offense got a major boost in 2024 thanks to a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for slugger Tyler O’Neill. He has dealt with plenty of injuries throughout his career and missed some time in 2024, but he had one of the best seasons of his career.

O’Neill appeared in 113 games for Boston and clubbed 31 home runs and drove in 61 runs. There are going to be plenty of teams looking for right-handed help in the middle of the lineup this winter, including Boston.

He will be highly sought-after and The Athletic’s Tim Britton, Chad Jennings, and Aaron Gleeman predicted he will end up signing a three-year, $45 million deal with a club. FanSided’s Jacob Mountz predicted that the club will end up being the Houston Astros.

“The Astros are at a crossroads,” Mountz said. “Either they make a splash or they let their dynasty crumble. Justin Verlander, Yusei Kikuchi, and Alex Bregman are among the top Astros on the free agent market this offseason. The 2026 season will bite even deeper with Framber Valdez, Kyle Tucker, and Jose Urquidy set to hit the market.

“In 2024, the Astros were the third-highest-spending team. With Jose Altuve, Josh Hader, and Yordan Alvarez locked up for the foreseeable future, it would be reasonable to expect the Astros will aggressively target some inexpensive help, especially if they want to extend Valdez or Tucker and maybe resign Bregman. Enter Tyler O’Neill…In 2024, O’Neill slashed .241/.336/.511/.847 with 31 home runs. If he can stay healthy, he might top 40 home runs a season. With O’Neill’s power potential in the lineup hitting behind Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve, the Astros would have a chance to regain their dynastic performance.”

Could the Red Sox actually end up losing O’Neill to the Astros?