Question: What is your take on last weekend? I was hoping for Teoscar Hernández to replace Anthony Santander, but I guess we could do worse than Tyler O’Neill. Do you think the Orioles were afraid to wait, knowing Hernández would probably be highly sought after by the losers in the Soto bidding war?
Gary Sánchez at $8.5 million is a heads scratcher at best. Why not make an attempt to bring back James McCann at that money — McCann wanting a multiyear deal? Will Samuel Basallo be ready defensively in 2026? From: Dan Klein
Answer: Dan, I’ve gotten many questions about O’Neill and Sánchez from William Cloud Hicklin, Michael Gendron, Kevin Whitaker, Roderick Shaw, Scott Defoy and others.
Santander was hard to replace because he’s a switch-hitter, and O’Neill is a good power hitter who hits right-handed, and they don’t have any other right-handed hitting outfielders other than Daz Cameron and Jorge Mateo, who is more of an infielder.
They did sign O’Neill quickly, and I don’t think it was a bad signing.
I’m a huge admirer of James McCann, but he is going to be 36 years old next June. Sánchez is a better hitter, and if he hits well early in the season and they want to bring up Basallo for the last few months, perhaps they can trade Sánchez.
Question: Who are some internal options to fill out the bullpen? Any Félix Bautista types hanging out in the minors waiting for their chance? From: Brian Kragh
Answer: Brian, the Orioles added three pitchers to their 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft: Luis González, Kade Strowd and Brandon Young. Strowd throws extremely hard and has been in the organization since 2019. González is 32 and has never played in the majors. Young is more of a starter but could pitch in relief.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.