Question: Do you see the Orioles moving away from the two Ryans, Mountcastle and O’Hearn, next offseason? We have a position of strength at first base with Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo knocking on the door.
Mayo and Basallo have the same righty/lefty platoon we currently enjoy with the Ryans, and with Mountcastle hitting his later arbitration years and O’Hearn hitting free agency, it seems logical to build Mountcastle’s value with left field being scooted in and trade him while he still has some cost-controlled years left. From: Sam Schofield
Answer: Sam, I think it’s certainly possible. As you mention, Ryan O’Hearn is eligible for free agency next season, and Mountcastle will be eligible for free agency after the 2026 season. I am fans, professionally and personally, of Mountcastle and O’Hearn and would be sad to see them go.
Question: Do the Orioles still have an offensive strategy coach and, if so, is it his job to make sure that the Orioles are going to make use of the bunt and sacrifice fly this year? I love home runs but also believe Earl Weaver’s “little ball” can sometimes work when there is no three-run homer to be had. From: Barbara McCann
Answer: Barbara, the Orioles promoted Cody Asche, who was the offensive strategy coach for the last two seasons, to be the lead hitting coach. He has two assistant hitting coaches, Sherman Johnson and Tommy Joseph, neither of whom will be the offensive strategy coach.
Manager Brandon Hyde has made it clear he wants to see more bunting and stealing, particularly from Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday, so I think you could see some more excitement offensively.
As for Earl Weaver, he was typecast as a home run-loving manager, but when he had teams with more speed with players like Al Bumbry and Rich Coggins, he utilized speed, but he wasn’t a “little ball” advocate.
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.