BALTIMORE -- A hitter¡¯s home ballpark can greatly impact his splits, as well as his decision-making process in free agency. Just ask Tyler O'Neill.

Last season, O¡¯Neill played 54 of his 113 games at Fenway Park in Boston. The Red Sox wanted the right-handed-hitting outfielder to tool his approach to take advantage of the gargantuan Green Monster in left field, and thus, his stats became a reflection of that.

Once O¡¯Neill became a free agent this offseason, it didn¡¯t take the 29-year-old long to hear about the hitter-friendly left-field wall change coming to Camden Yards in 2025. The Orioles made O¡¯Neill a priority, and they spoke greatly about their new wall in their first meeting with O¡¯Neill and agent Scott Boras.

O¡¯Neill -- whose three-year, $49.5 million deal with Baltimore was finalized last Tuesday -- liked the wall-focused sales pitch he heard from general manager Mike Elias.

¡°I think it¡¯s good for guys like me, obviously,¡± O¡¯Neill said. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what that looks like in person.¡±

It wasn¡¯t surprising that O¡¯Neill¡¯s 2024 splits -- which even he referred to as ¡°drastic¡± -- were brought up when the Orioles¡¯ newest corner outfielder met with the Baltimore media for the first time on a Zoom press conference on Monday. The numbers practically jump off the stat page:

Against right-handed pitchers: .209/.290/.403 with 15 homers in 317 plate appearances

Against left-handed pitchers: .313/.430/.750 with 16 homers in 156 plate appearances

The stats weren¡¯t by design, but O¡¯Neill¡¯s pull-heavy offensive approach was. He believes that¡¯s part of the reason why he mashed southpaws and was less dangerous against the righties he saw more frequently.

Overall, though, the seven-year MLB veteran had his most productive offensive season (31 home runs and an .847 OPS) since his breakout 2021 campaign with the Cardinals (34 homers and a .912 OPS).

¡°They wanted me to open up to the pull side and kind of had to play up front a little more, which left me less room for error. And it worked out. It worked out well, for sure,¡± O¡¯Neill said. ¡°But it definitely caused some streakiness. So to be able to play in a more symmetrical ballpark like Camden Yards, I¡¯m really excited to be able to exploit right-center more and use the whole field and see what I can post on top of that.¡±

The Orioles are looking forward to that, too. They needed a right-handed bat to complement their lefty-heavy outfield group (Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad and Cedric Mullins), and they believe O¡¯Neill is the perfect addition.

If Anthony Santander signs with another team in free agency, then the trio of Cowser, Kjerstad and O¡¯Neill should rotate between the corner-outfield spots and designated hitter.

¡°Now, I think we've got a really strong outfield mix,¡± Elias said during last week¡¯s Winter Meetings in Dallas.

O¡¯Neill, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, is ready to play wherever Baltimore wants him. He¡¯s even ready to fill in at center field if needed. He just wants to be in the lineup as often as possible, hoping he can avoid the injury bug that has hampered him throughout his career.

Although O¡¯Neill doesn¡¯t yet have personal relationships with any of his new teammates, he was impressed by what he saw from the O¡¯s last season while suiting up for the American League East rival Red Sox.

¡°I was very excited that Baltimore was interested in me,¡± O¡¯Neill said. ¡°They were a tough opponent all year. They can hit. They¡¯ve got really good starters. The bullpen¡¯s lockdown. So for me to be able to join that and try and do what I can on my side to help that roster out, I¡¯m really excited for that.

¡°There¡¯s a lot of potential with this young core of guys that they have. Winning 91 ballgames last year -- hopefully, we can add to that this year. I¡¯m very excited to see where it goes.¡±

O¡¯Neill is the first player to sign a multiyear deal with the Orioles since Elias became GM in November 2018. However, there¡¯s a caveat -- O¡¯Neill has the ability to opt out after the 2025 season and test free agency again next offseason, if he wishes to do so.

While O¡¯Neill said the ¡°contract flexibility¡± that Baltimore presented was ¡°appealing,¡± the opt-out potential isn¡¯t at the forefront of his mind heading into next season.

¡°I'm focused on the full term of my contract right now,¡± O¡¯Neill said, ¡°and seeing what kind of damage we can do in the AL East.¡±