When the playoffs started, I predicted an Eagles-Bills Super Bowl in a beat writer text thread. No one else had Philadelphia, but I cited its defense, offensive line and weapons in the backfield and at receiver and tight end.

I got it half right. Josh Allen just came along at the wrong time, in the midst of the Chiefs dynasty.

I also knew that I’d have leftovers from my last mailbag. A precedent is set.

Here are some extras.

Outfield versatility is a great thing, usually for substitutions or resting the starters. But Brandon Hyde used to switch Austin Hays and Anthony Santander to the opposite corners occasionally when they were both almost everyday starters. It might have depended on the road park and its dimensions. Happened maybe even at Fenway Park. Think we'll see Tyler O'Neill and Colton Cowser at both corners even as everyday starters in the same lineup?
I don’t think Cowser is locked into left field and O’Neill into right, but those will be their primary positions. They could switch on occasion. Moving Santander to the other corner made sense in some ballparks if there was more ground to cover in right. Hays had better range, of course. O’Neill has won two Gold Gloves. Hyde could be less inclined to make that switch.

The Orioles entered a new week with a deeper rotation and the motivation to keep searching for pitching.

Camp doesn’t open for another six weeks.

The mailbag opened again over the weekend. You asked and I answered, leaving us with the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

I don’t do much editing, but I provide reminders that my mailbag owns a snow blower and your mailbag shovels the driveway with a spatula.

Even if another starting pitcher and reliever are added to this roster, the current 2025 team seems like we're starting with less than we did in 2024. The Yankees and Red Sox both improved dramatically on paper, and the Blue Jays are still frantically searching for free agents who'll accept Canadian money. The Rays always restock from within, so they can never be counted out. What must Mike Elias do to make this year's Orioles a viable contender, or is this destined to be a "regrouping" year?
There is no prize money for longest question. Just so you know. This question was submitted before the Charlie Morton signing, but I’m sure it holds up. The Orioles already consider themselves contenders based on their returning players and additions. They expect better production from hitters who slumped and they’re counting on better health. Also, the offseason isn’t over. I’m sure you’ve been reminded that they traded for Corbin Burnes on Feb. 1. I think this is a playoff team. That’s as far as I’ll go right now.

I couldn’t get to a few questions in the weekend mailbag and wanted to publish them before they got stale, like the bread used to make stuffing for your holiday turkey.

By the way, it’s dressing if prepared outside the bird. Let me address that one before it’s asked.

Here are some extras while we wait for Orioles news.

Is the offseason plan to just hope Grayson Rodriguez stays healthy and becomes the ace they hope?
I wouldn’t say it’s a “plan.” It isn’t preventing the Orioles from acquiring a top starter. But they certainly hope that he can go the distance and reach his enormous potential. Gotta stop with the lat and shoulder soreness. He could be an ace if he’s healthy. He’s got that kind of stuff.

Who's your early minor league dark horse(s) to make their MLB debut in 2025?
Here’s one for you that’s outside the (batter’s) box: Catcher Maverick Handley is on the taxi squad and has his contract selected because of an injury. He’s already in the clubhouse and the team doesn’t want to play shorthanded. It happened twice this year with catcher David Bañuelos and he received his first and only major league at-bat. Bañuelos was the leading taxi squad guy this year, but Handley has done it in the past.

Rather than let the mailbag fill until it overflows like a clogged sink, I’ve decided to share a few more questions this morning to keep it at a reasonable level.

I sense a little fan impatience because the Orioles haven’t made a big move or one that fits as a medium, but offers reportedly were made for starting pitching and the Winter Meetings could bring news. Stay patient. It's early December.

In the meantime …

Why hasn't the “Hot Stove” been hot?
There it is. Some deals and signings have been announced, but the process slows with the expanded playoff field convincing more teams that they can contend. Agents aren’t in a rush to accept proposals. High-profile free agents like Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes need to come off the board, which makes clubs pivot to Plan B. Stuff like that.

How many Orioles minor leaguers are eligible to be chosen in the Rule 5 draft?
Roster Resource lists 36. Don't worry, all 36 won’t be selected. Some of the more notable names include outfielders Hudson Haskin, John Rhodes and Reed Trimble, catcher Maverick Handley and pitchers Justin Armbruester, Juan Nuñez, Carter Baumler, Kyle Brnovich, Alex Pham, Zach Peek, Jean Pinto, Tyler Burch, Keagan Gillies and Kyle Virbitsky.

I had a little more mailbag left and didn’t want it to go to waste.

I’ll be handing out participation trophies by the end of the year. You’re all winners.

I might have missed some of the minor league signings. Any recent ones?
Is yesterday recent enough? The Orioles signed left-hander Raúl Alcantara, infielder/outfielder Franklin Barreto and infielder Jeremiah Jackson to minor league deals. Don't confuse this Alcantara with the right-hander. Different guys. Raúl was in the Mariners organization since 2018 and pitched this year with Double-A Arkansas, where he had a 3.44 ERA in 37 games. Barreto is a right-handed hitter who hasn’t played in the majors since 2020 with the Angels. He spent parts of four seasons with the Athletics and is a career .175 hitter with a .549 OPS. He’s batted .275/.342/.463 with 99 home runs in nine minor league seasons. Jackson, a right-handed hitter, was in the Angels’ system from 2018-23 and the Mets’ system in 2023-24 and batted .239/.307/.459 with 95 homers in six minor league seasons.

Will this be the year the O's finally free Bruce Zimmermann? Must be some allowance for good behavior.
Zimmermann is a minor league free agent. He’d be good rotation depth in Triple-A but likely prefers a better chance to stick in the majors.

Whatever happened to former Orioles third base coach José Flores?
The Red Sox have promoted Flores to first base coach/infield instructor. He was Triple-A Worcester’s bench coach.

A few questions stuck to the bottom of the mailbag again.

An attendant at Sinai Hospital told me that eight ounces or more of cherry juice lowers blood pressure. The bottle must have leaked.

It never should have been inside the mailbag. That’s my fault.

You ask and I answer. Here we go.

Any new minor league signings to report?
Yes. The club announced yesterday that right-hander Robinson Martínez signed a minor league deal. Martínez, 26, pitched in the Phillies system from 2015-19 and in the Marlins system in 2021-22. He has a 4.92 ERA and 1.502 WHIP in 133 games (seven starts) and averages 5.2 walks, 9.6 strikeouts and 0.6 home runs allowed per nine innings. He hasn’t pitched above Double-A. The Orioles assigned him to the Bowie Baysox.

Questions are flowing into the mailbag. It’s like a valve is open.

Major League Baseball hosts its quarterly owners meetings next week in New York. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America will begin announcing winners of its four major awards Monday with Rookie of the Year in both leagues.

Colton Cowser is a finalist and will try to give the Orioles back-to-back winners for the first time in club history and eight winners overall.

The offseason is pretty tame at the moment beyond the usual roster deadlines. The Nov. 4 waiver claims of catcher René Pinto and pitcher Thaddeus Ward didn’t move the needle. Lots of work is done behind closed doors with the Orioles putting together their major league and minor league coaching staffs and filling other positions.

Let’s fill this space with the mailbag, which is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

Was Robert De Niro robbed of an Oscar in 1992 for his portrayal of Max Cady in “Cape Fear?”

De Niro was amazing in that role. A brilliant performance. I would have chosen him. But I also can’t argue with Anthony Hopkins winning for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.”

See, you ask and I answer. It’s that simple. Or in this case, I ask and answer to set up the latest mailbag entry.

(Martin Scorsese was robbed twice – for Raging Bull and Goodfellas – by first-time directors Robert Redford and Kevin Costner. And he’s been the victim of other snubs. Those just irk me the most. But I digress …)

I’m serving mailbag leftovers as we trudge through another week in the offseason. Any thoughts of editing for clarity, length and style were scraped into the trash.

Turns out, I didn’t empty the mailbag. The questions kept comin’ and I couldn’t keep up.

Here are some leftovers for breakfast to go with your cold pasta and pizza. Maybe that half-eaten sub or the sushi roll that comes with a strict deadline for consumption.

Or you could be weird and go with eggs and toast.

Zach Eflin or Grayson Rodriguez on Opening Day?
Could be none of the above. What if Corbin Burnes or another stud starter is with the team? OK, I don’t anticipate Burnes re-signing, but someone similar could get the assignment. Otherwise, unlike 2024 spring training, there might actually be a competition for the No. 1 spot.

Will Jorge Mateo be on the Opening Day roster?
First, the Orioles would have to sign him to another contract. He’s eligible for arbitration again and MLBTradeRumors.com projects his raise to $3.2 million. That’s hefty for a player who doesn’t project to start and hasn’t hit after hot starts to the season, and with the Orioles more likely to keep Ramón Urías in a utility role. And let’s not forget about the elbow surgery. We’re told that Mateo should be ready on Opening Day, but there might not be room for him.

The baseball playoffs have provided nightly thrills that seem to be directing teams and media toward cross-country travel for the World Series.

You won’t rack up any mileage reading my mailbag. It comes to you.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 blockbuster. There could be some leftovers later. Don’t be too bummed if you didn’t make it into today’s edition.

Don’t be too upset with my refusal to worry about style, length, clarity, brevity and all that jazz. Also, my mailbag hits walk-off home runs and your mailbag’s dates walk off after about 15 minutes.

After the firing of two hitting coaches, will this be the strategy moving forward?
Not sure what you mean by “strategy.” Replacing coaches? Also, Matt Borgschulte took a hitting coach position with the Twins. We don’t know whether he had the option of staying, but he was allowed to pursue another opportunity. The Baltimore Banner reported that it was Fuller’s decision to leave. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall. Don't know.

The offseason halts play for the Orioles but can't stop the mailbag.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. Same rules apply. You ask and I try to answer. I don't believe in editing, but I believe in love.

Also, my mailbag sweeps other mailbags and yours sweeps the confetti that fell after my latest championship.

Any updates on Tyler Wells for 2025?
None. He was back with the team for the postseason but probably won’t pitch next summer until the second half. The question is how deeply into it. His return from June elbow surgery is supposed to be quicker because he underwent a revision ulnar collateral ligament procedure with UCL repair and internal brace augmentation. It requires less recovery time than the traditional Tommy John surgery. Maybe he gets back before Kyle Bradish, but a first-half return seems really optimistic.

What is the logic/benefit to having multiple hitting and/or pitching coaches? During the season whenever a pitching coach headed for the mound, it was only one of the two. It's not like they sent both out together.
That’s a funny image. The jobs are considered so big now that they require two coaches. Like having co-hitting coach Matt Borgschulte working with a player in the cage during a game. Having two pitching coaches to offer instruction to the large groups at spring training. Two who can wade through all of the analytic data and video. A second coach also can focus on advanced preparation for the next opponent. Two voices with one message. The Orioles aren't bringing back co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller. Here's what manager Brandon Hyde said about the co-hitting coach approach during his season-ending press conference: "Yeah, hitting coach is a tough job, because you're never going to have 13 or whatever guys going at the same time. You're going to have three guys going, you're going to have three guys struggling, and you're going to have six guys kind of in between, and it changes every three or four days. So it's a really, really tough job. Hitting is so hard to do. I think our guys do an amazing job of preparing our guys. I think they're unbelievably likable. Guys love to hit with them in the cage. They're incredibly prepared, they're unbelievably positive, and they're living and dying with every single one of our guys’ at-bats. That's all you can ask for."

NEW YORK – The mailbag boarded an Acela early Tuesday morning to Moynihan Train Hall, free from the usual inspections that come at airports. You could carry a human head and no one would notice. But if you see something, say something.

Among the mailbag’s many wonderful qualities is a water-proof exterior, which also protects it from champagne, beer and close talkers. Ideal for clubhouse celebrations.

Unfortunately, it didn’t get past Yankee Stadium security. Gotta have a credential.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. Any thoughts of editing questions have been eliminated like the White Sox in June.

Also, my mailbag clinches and yours flinches.

The Orioles had an off-day in Detroit yesterday because Passaic, New Jersey was booked.

OK, let’s get serious.

The penultimate road trip of the season is close to a wrap – I’ll be on the next one - and the Orioles are two games behind the Yankees. They have three against the Tigers beginning tonight and three more next weekend at Camden Yards after hosting the Giants.

This could be the penultimate mailbag, but they aren’t on a set schedule. I can only promise today.

Here’s the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. No need to edit myself for clarity because I’ve been quite clear about my disdain for editing.

Emptying a mailbag is more complicated than it appears on the surface, because of what’s happening at the bottom.

To put it in simple terms, stuff gets stuck.

Here are some extra questions that I didn’t want to ignore. Same no rules apply.

With Grayson Rodriguez not due back until mid-to-late September, that may not be enough time to be built back up. Is it silly to think he could fill in as a closer for the playoffs?
You aren’t the only one to have this thought and it does intrigue. The rotation needs Rodriguez and building him up is part of the process leading to his reinstatement from the injured list. That’s why it’s going to take this long. But it isn’t the worst idea. I had someone else nominate Dean Kremer for the job. But again, the rotation is the priority.

Which of the three areas on the roster needs to improve the most for the Orioles to make a deep playoff run: Starting rotation, bullpen or lineup?
Yes. All of them. But it always starts with starting pitching. What happened in the Division Series is proof. However, blown leads late in games or an offense that can’t get more than three hits also will doom you. The Orioles were fortunate to beat the Dodgers Tuesday with only three runs scored and Cole Irvin going 4 1/3 innings – a short leash at 60 pitches. The bullpen was money with 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Orioles are laboring on offense, hurting for healthy starting pitching and unable to fully trust their bullpen. Otherwise, there’s nothing to see here.

They’re also only two games behind in the division and are first in the wild card chase.

I say “only” knowing that it’s a genuine concern compared to leading the pack, which they’ve done for much of the season. But no one is running away with a division. No one is playing .600 ball. There isn't a dominant team.

The Dodgers are the closest at .595 and are 43-23 at home, and the Orioles arrived yesterday for a three-game series beginning tonight. But otherwise, really, there’s nothing to see here.

There are questions in the mailbag that I cannot ignore. Time again to drum up a sequel to the beloved 2008 original. You ask, I attempt to answer, sometimes the same inquiry comes as if I’m typing in invisible ink, sometimes I playfully ridicule.

What do my mailbag and mimosas have in common? They both can be bottomless.

Next question: Anyone surprised that I chose to use mimosas as a comparison? The options were plentiful.

I had some extras from the last mailbag, which led us to the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

Also, my leftovers stay fresh for days and yours change colors overnight.

Is Jackson Holliday here to stay forever?
In the majors? Yeah, he’s planted like a redwood. With the Orioles? Well, stay tuned.

I’m using flashcards to learn the names of the new players. My family is quizzing me.

Their first question: How did we get stuck doing this?

For me it's like, is that Austin Slater? No? Oh, hey Blake Hunt. Is that Seranthony Domínguez? Nope? I was gonna say Gregory Soto. I swear.

One thing that never changes is my mailbag except for the weight of its contents.

You’ll have a long wait if you think I’m going to worry about clarity, length and style.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The grind of the first half finally caught up to the mailbag. It lacked energy. It stranded questions.

The break came at the ideal time.

Let's get to the latest edition of the beloved 2008 original while the Orioles are enjoying an off-day - after playing only three games to begin the second half.

There are worse places to be than Miami. I had my fun during those South Florida spring trainings. Let someone else have a turn.

The post-break doesn’t bring serious changes to the mailbag. Same rules as the first. I don’t need to improve the clarity, shorten the length or adjust the style.

The latest heat advisory mentions how mailbags could go up in flames and to keep them indoors. I’m not taking any chances.

It’s my responsibility to empty mine and save the neighborhood from total destruction.

You ask, I answer, and yada, yada, yada.

If you ever catch me editing for clarity, length or style, drag me in an alley and have me beaten.

Also, my mailbag competes in the Home Run Derby and yours just has the runs.

The mailbag wasn’t emptied on the first attempt. Passionate fans have questions, and there’s never a shortage.

Let’s get to a few more before tonight’s game against the Guardians that begins the latest homestand.

Same rules apply. There are none except for the ban on profanity. Stop trying.

Where would you, Mr. Kubatko, rate Gunnar as an all-time Oriole already? (And yes, I’m asking you to project.)
No need to be so formal but thank you. Yeah, that’s some serious projecting so early in his career, but if we’re talking about where he winds up, he absolutely should be one of the best for everything he brings to the plate and at shortstop. Helps to know whether we’re talking best Orioles or best players to wear the uniform. This isn’t an issue with Henderson, but I think about Frank Robinson. Maybe the best player to wear the uniform but he only spent six seasons in Baltimore. Roberto Alomar spent three but he’s in the Hall of Fame and played the best second base that I’ve ever seen. We’re safe going with Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. Henderson has the talent to be talked about in the same sentence.

Hey Roch, any plans to get an interview or article with Terry Crowley or Nick Markakis for their O’s Hall Of Fame inductions?
The team will make them available to the media and I assume that I’ll be in the scrum. Haven’t seen Crowley in many years and I look forward to it. His induction is long overdue. Markakis will be a man of few words but I enjoyed covering him.