Report: Three more Orioles questions and curiosities for the 2025 season

Questions come attached to the Orioles that can be answered before Opening Day, with others that need more time.

Pretty much anything relating to the roster should become clearer by late March, but check back in October for the rest. There’s no way to know until a season plays out.

Here are three more examples.

Can the Orioles get a full season out of Grayson Rodriguez?

Rodriguez was a camp cut in 2023 who rejoined the Orioles in early April after Kyle Bradish took a line drive off his leg in Texas. He was optioned in late May and didn’t return until July 17.

Rodriguez made only three starts in May 2024 due to right shoulder soreness and didn’t pitch after July 31 because of a lat/teres strain. He ran out of time to get ready for the Wild Card series but is expected to be ready for the beginning of spring training.

“He’s full-go,” manager Brandon Hyde said at the Winter Meetings.

Getting 30-plus starts from Rodriguez, who also sustained a lat injury at Triple-A Norfolk in 2022 that cost him three months, would provide a major assist to the Orioles’ quest for a deep playoff run. He could be the staff ace. He’s got the arm and the stuff. What’s needed is the durability to stay on the mound.

“We lost Grayson second half last year,” Hyde said. “It was a good first half, a rough second half. A lot of things went into losing in the second half. Losing Grayson was one of those.

“I’m excited about him. I talked to him (last Monday), also. He’s ready to go. He feels awesome.”

Who are the clubhouse leaders?

We’re learning about Tyler O’Neill and Gary Sánchez. They could command the kind of respect in the clubhouse that Anthony Santander and especially James McCann did before entering free agency.

I keep going back to the veteran player who said, “This is James McCann’s clubhouse.” And he’s talking about the backup catcher.

Kyle Gibson and Corbin Burnes brought that same leadership in the rotation. The young starters gravitated to them. Gibson left as a free agent and Burnes is poised to do the same. Craig Kimbrel and Danny Coulombe aren’t in the bullpen.

Are we too age-obsessed and dismissive of the former prospects who can command respect based on their play and rising stature?

“We’ll see what the roster looks like,” Hyde said in Dallas. “It’s still really early. We’ll see if we bring in other veteran pieces or we don’t. If we don’t, I do feel like some of our young guys are ready for that. Definitely talented enough, and I think that those last two successful years, regular season-wise, and two disappointing postseasons, they’re ready to take that next step.

“There are definitely guys in that room that have big time leadership capabilities.”

What will the bullpen look like?

With so much focus on the rotation and whether the Orioles can acquire a No. 1 starter, it becomes easier to overlook a bullpen that also is incomplete. Only six of the eight spots feel safe to write in ink.

Coulombe’s option wasn’t picked up and Jacob Webb was non-tendered and signed with the Rangers for $1.25 million. Félix Bautista is back but will be eased into the closer’s role because he hasn’t pitched since August 2023.

Yennier Cano, Seranthony Domínguez, Cionel Pérez, Gregory Soto and Keegan Akin are expected to join Bautista. Albert Suárez is a long-relief candidate if he isn’t starting.

“One of the things we’ve done the last few years is find bullpen pieces,” Hyde said.

“Losing Félix last year and kind of having a tough year for us on the injury front, he’s done a pretty good job out of the ‘pen. Love both those guys. Those were two big losses for us last year. Talk about a second half, not having those two guys was a huge part of that sixth, seventh inning, two guys that were able to get both sides out. That cost us. That hurt us. But we’ve done a really good job, and Mike’s done a great job in the front office of finding bullpen pieces to help us.”

* Len Johnston, who was inducted into the Orioles’ Hall of Fame in 2010 after receiving the Herb Armstrong Award, passed away yesterday at his home at age 95. A Facebook post said he went peacefully in his sleep.

Johnston spent 43 seasons as a minor league manager, coach and administrator with the Orioles. He did pretty much everything at rookie-level Bluefield and was inducted to the Appalachian League Hall of Fame in 2020.

Overall, Johnston spent 68 seasons in professional baseball beginning in 1952.

He is survived by five children, 11 grandchildren and five great grandchildren with two more on the way.

Related Posts

🔥 REPORT | SHOCKING CONTRACT MANIA ERUPTS IN THE BRONX AS THE New York Yankees WATCH Jazz Chisholm Jr. GET HIT WITH A STUNNING $140 MILLION PROJECTION FROM ESPN THAT TURNS THE ENTIRE MARKET UPSIDE DOWN. Insiders across every major platform are scrambling to decode how this valuation skyrocketed overnight. Fans are flooding social feeds as whispers grow that this projection could trigger one of the wildest contract races baseball has seen in years..ll 👇👇👇

The New York Yankees have quietly built a legitimate World Series contender this offseason, relying not on flashy external signings but on the simple and calculated strategy…

🔥 BREAKING | SHOCKWAVES ERUPT IN THE BRONX AS THE New York Yankees MOVE AGGRESSIVELY BEHIND THE SCENES TO SHOP Jazz Chisholm Jr. TO AN NL TEAM IN A MOVE THAT SCREAMS ‘TIME’S UP.’ Insiders across every major platform are tearing apart the motives fueling this stunning shift as whispers of a fractured fit grow louder. Fans are spiraling online as momentum builds toward a breakup that feels definitive, ruthless, and absolutely unavoidable..ll 👇👇👇

The writing is becoming clearer by the day for Jazz Chisholm Jr., the electric but polarizing infielder whose time with the New York Yankees appears to be…

🔥 EXCLUSIVE | TOTAL BASEBALL SHAKE-UP ERUPTS AS THE New York Mets REBUILD THEIR ROTATION FROM SCRATCH WITH Kodai Senga AND Sean Manaea AT THE HEART OF A HIGH-STAKES REDEMPTION GAMBLE THAT COULD DEFINE THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE. Insiders across every platform are scrambling as early metrics reveal a storyline far more volatile than anyone expected. Fans are bracing for impact as whispers grow louder that this rebuilt staff might become either the scariest force in baseball or the most explosive collapse of the decade..ll 👇👇👇

The atmosphere surrounding the New York Mets as they report to spring training in Port St. Lucie is a fascinating blend of calculated optimism and residual trauma….

🔥 EXCLUSIVE SPRING OPENER SCOOP: White Sox @ Cubs – Full Lineups, Starters & Broadcast Details Revealed! White Sox lineup features Curtis Mead leading off at 3B, Kyle Teel catching, Austin Hays in LF, Munetaka Murakami at 1B – while Cubs counter with Jonathan Long 1B, Alex Bregman 3B, Seiya Suzuki CF! Cannon (RHP) vs Taillon (RHP) in a battle of righties – catch it on Marquee Sports Network (Cubs side), MLB.TV streaming, ESPN 1000 radio for Sox fans! Early highlights already popping – who’s stealing the show in Mesa? 👇

 The Chicago White Sox make their way to Sloan Park on Friday to officially begin Cactus League play, opening Spring Training against their crosstown rival, the Chicago…

⚾ SHOCKING INSIDER TAKE: ESPN Drops ‘Team-Friendly’ Bomb on Ronald Acuña Jr.’s Braves Future – Extension in Jeopardy? Buster Olney warns Atlanta’s front office won’t shell out mega-dollars for their MVP star beyond the current deal, sticking to their history of low-risk, team-friendly contracts only – if Acuña’s market value skyrockets post-injury recovery, could the Braves really let their franchise face walk or trigger “Plan B” sooner than fans think? 👇

The Atlanta Braves find themselves facing a quietly looming dilemma involving superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.. While the issue will not impact their immediate plans for the…

⚾ BLUNT WARNING DROPPED: Red Sox Front Office Issues Ice-Cold Ultimatum to Back-End Rotation – Shape Up or Ship Out! Boston’s brass just delivered a savage reality check to the shaky tail-end starters, hinting at zero patience for inconsistency as spring heats up – one more bad outing and jobs could vanish overnight! Is this the wake-up call that saves the season or the first sign of a brutal roster purge? 👇

The Boston Red Sox entered Spring Training this year with an uncharacteristic level of clarity near the top of their rotation but an equally intense sense of…