Because You Asked - Fire and Ash

Let’s dive into the first post-World Series mailbag while the offseason heats up.

You ask again, I answer again, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

This is a politics-free mailbag. Let’s consider it practice for next week.

It’s also an editing-free mailbag. Let your clarity, length and style shine.

An important reminder here that my mailbag gets lots of candy on Halloween and your mailbag gets a toothbrush and dental floss.

Are you happy the Yankees lost?
I wanted a Game 7. That would have made me happy. Aren’t we supposed to root for the American League, or is that only in the All-Star Game?

Do you see the Orioles having any interest in Alex Bregman?
I guess you could make the Mike Elias connection, but how would that work? Give Bregman third base and move Jordan Westburg to second and make Jackson Holliday a part-time player? I don’t see that happening. I don't see a fit. The Orioles need a bat but third base seems to be in good hands.

Besides Anthony Santander and possibly Teoscar Hernández, what free agent right-handed hitting outfielders do you think would be a good fit in Baltimore? And don't say "your mom."
I'd never! Tyler O’Neill, Jurickson Profar (switch-hitter), Tommy Pham. Who am I missing?

Where will Juan Soto bat in the Orioles’ lineup in 2025?
Your dreams.

If MASN asked you to leave a World Series game to interview two morons who tried to rip a glove off a player, would you start writing your book in your car or wait until you got home?
Good one! One of the best things about working for MASN and its website is not getting those calls in the press box or at home. I fielded plenty of them with The Baltimore Sun. An editor wanted me to stake out Brady Anderson’s downtown residence on a Sunday morning because of rumors that Cal Ripken Jr. was living with him. I did not do it.

What is your favorite opposing team city to visit? DC is not allowed as a choice.
Don’t worry. I like St. Petersburg, but we don’t know where the Rays will play next season. I like Boston and wish there were more day games or off-day so I could enjoy the restaurant scene. I like Cleveland despite its reputation. I really enjoyed Pittsburgh in April. Some really nice places to eat and drink within walking distance of the ballpark and the Marriotts across the street. Very underrated.

What did the initials on Cade Povich's glove stand for?
I can’t say that I really noticed, but they stood for “The Game Honors Toughness.” It was a saying at South Mountain Community College. Is that what you meant?

Any other SMCC players with the Orioles?
Yes, reliever Danny Coulombe. Injuries limited him to one appearance in 2010 before he transferred to Texas Tech.

Will David Rubenstein sell his 1297 copy of the Magna Carta in order to pad the Orioles’ payroll?
Between his wealth and his investors’ wealth, he should be fine. Hold onto it. The game goes for the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria that he has docked in Annapolis.

Adley Rutschman was the face of the rebuild, the new face of baseball by some accounts, was marketed even as Captain America due to his wholesome image. How has he adjusted to sharing the spotlight with even younger teammates like fan favorite Colton Cowser and superstar Gunnar Henderson?
Rutschman has never sought or felt comfortable in the spotlight. He’d gladly go through the rest of his career with the attention falling on his teammates. He tries to push it there. We figured this out early on with our daily exposure to him. Rutschman just wants to show up, do his job and not talk about it. That’s part of his process.

Do you agree that 100 Grand is the best candy bar?
I’m more of a Snickers or Almond Joy guy,  but I don’t eat a lot of candy bars. My wife hates that I buy the full-size Hershey’s bars at Halloween to hand out to the neighbors’ kids, instead of the “fun-size” candy in the bowl. She thinks they’re so boring. I love a classic.  

With his performance in the World Series, did Teoscar Hernández just move out of our price range?
I don’t know if he was ever in it. Then again, we don’t know the exact price range under new ownership. We just assume that the Orioles will spend more than in past years. But they aren’t going to spend like the Dodgers and Yankees. Jim Bowden made a contract projection of three years and $75 million, which seems light to me.

Do you think that the Orioles will extend a qualifying offer to Anthony Santander? A QO to Corbin Burnes should be a no-brainer, right?
They both should be no-brainers. Take the compensatory draft pick. Neither player is going to accept it.

Do you go to any minor league games during the season? How many baseball games do you think you will go to when you retire?
I don’t get a chance to attend minor league games because I’m at Camden Yards, on the road or happy to get some time at home. I’ve gone to Bowie a few times to collect interviews in the early afternoon. That’s about it. As for retirement, I don’t see myself around the ballpark much, and especially while no longer getting comp tickets. But hopefully we’ll find out.

Should Logan Gilbert be available in trade, would you be opposed to including Jackson Holliday as the main part of the trade package?
I would be very uncomfortable including Holliday in a trade package. He’s still untouchable for me. But I don’t work in the front office, so my opinion carries as much value as a “get out of jail free” card. (Don’t try it. It won’t work.)

I've heard nothing about Dean Kremer this offseason. Is it safe to say he'll be in the rotation next year? I’ve got a team store gift card to spend by the end of the year and will have some money for a jersey left over after I buy your gift, Roch.
Well, how generous of you. Kremer is projected to be part of the rotation. The Orioles need a starter. I don’t see them subtracting Kremer.

Did you order the Code Red?
You can’t handle the truth. I did order the Code White after Labor Day and got in trouble for it.

Not including our own free agents, my top three reasonable free-agent targets are Christian Walker, Blake Snell and Jurickson Profar. Who would be your top three?
I thought about it for about 30 seconds and wrote Tyler O’Neill, Max Fried and Sean Manaea. So you’re thinking Walker comes and Ryan Mountcastle goes?

What costumes have you worn as an adult for Halloween?
T-Rex last year to entertain my granddaughter. Wonder Woman to entertain everybody

If Jackson Holliday mimics Shohei Ohtani's swing, will he also hit 50 home runs, steal 50 bases and win a Cy Young?
Yes, yes and no. But maybe he can close on the days that Félix Bautista is unavailable.

If you were a casting agent, what kind of cameo roles would you consider Keegan Aiken for? I can see him in a non-speaking part playing a 1930s gangster in a fedora carrying a Tommy gun.
That’s a good call. Or one of the Sandlot kids grown up and owning a bar.

Do the Orioles need a player who hits for power or can get on base?
Can he do both? They have power in the lineup. Losing Santander would take away 44 home runs, but Heston Kjerstad could make up for a lot of them if he's a regular in the lineup. We saw again in the second half and Wild Card series that the Orioles need a good situational hitter who knows how to get on base and how to move runners along. Someone with a high on-base percentage.

As I recall you usually take the trip to Ocean Pines for Thanksgiving. The Carousel Hotel in Ocean City is hosting a Thanksgiving Buffet with the most inclusive menu I've ever seen. Check them out on the internet. Would you consider giving Mom Kubatko a break and taking the Kubatko clan for a dinner overlooking the ocean?
Mom comes to us now. And if I suggested taking her out for a Thanksgiving buffet, she’d said, “This is probably a good place to stop.”

I would say it took the Yankees fan roughly 2.5 seconds to rip the ball from Betts' glove. How much faster do you think you could have achieved this feat?
The chloroform rag and ransom note for the ball would have slowed me down. And this is definitely a good place to stop.