Cardinals left fielder Tyler O’Neill was a loser in the salary arbitration verdict handed down Wednesday although “losing” at $3.4 million (the Cardinals’ offer), compared to his asking price of $4.15 million, is relative.
O’Neill sighed Wednesday afternoon and said, “I feel glad that it’s done.”
Because of the 99-day owners' lockout, arbitration cases were held during the season rather than in February, with O'Neill's conducted Friday before a game in San Francisco. After a nothing-for-four night on Tuesday, O'Neill's average dipped to .198 with just three hits and 10 strikeouts in his past 16 at-bats. This season's statistics, however, had no bearing on the arbiter's decision.