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.