Orioles mailbag: Should there be concern about the young core?

Baltimore Sun Orioles reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer will answer fan questions every Friday during baseball season.

Here are JCMs thoughts on several questions from readers:(Editors note: Questions have been edited for length and clarity.

Email [email protected] with questions for next Fridays mailbag.)How are the core players responding to the lack of success this year? Are they holding themselves accountable and is there a sense of optimism in the clubhouse that they will return to winning baseball next year? u/Lazy_Passenger7841 on RedditThis was one of the many great questions from my Reddit Ask Me Anything on Thursday.

Several of the questions were about the young core how theyre handling this disappointing season and whether theres cause for concern about the groups future.How they play moving forward matters much more than what they say, but a few comments from Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman two of the players who will have to lead the clubhouse moving forward did hit the nail on the head.Westburg on the young core needed to step up: The leadership roles fall to us now.

So, guys like Gunnar and guys like myself, Adley, as young as Jackson [Holliday], Cowser, we got to kind of pick it up.

We understand that the clubhouse is now in a place where weve been kind of groomed and kind of preparing to take over and now its that time.

So, I think we got to put on our big boy pants and lead this clubhouse for the last two months of the season.Rutschman on the importance of playing well the rest of the season: The mentality for us doesnt change.

I think, if anything, just the fact of where were at right now should motivate guys more than ever to go out there and play as hard as they can.There are aspects of this game that require players and coaches to hold each other accountable, but that might not be the case here.

Its not like theres a lack of effort for any of these players.

In fact, Colton Cowser and Westburg have both gotten injured because of too much effort.Its clear that this season has been tough on the young core.

Gunnar Henderson, Cowser, Rutschman and Westburg have all dealt with injuries.

Cowser and Adley havent performed to their expectations.

And these players hate losing and theyre not accustomed to it.Should there be concern about the young core? Yes and no.

Individually, there are still reasons for optimism for each member of that group.

But as a whole, the group might not be as valuable as once conceived.

The big question for 2026 is: Can the young core step up and carry this team to the playoffs and on a postseason run?What do you attribute to Gunnar Hendersons general lack of power this season? u/CZM6626 on RedditTheres one metric on Baseball Savant that explains why Henderson is hitting fewer homers and it aligns with what were all seeing with our eyes.Henderson isnt lifting the ball as much this season.

His launch angle sweet spot percentage ranks in just the 14th percentile in MLB.

Its by far the worst offensive metric on his Savant page.

Statcast deems a launch angle between 8 to 32 degrees as the sweet spot aka the type of launch angle that produces the best results and Henderson has produced that just 30.9% of the time.

Last year, that rate was 54%.Henderson has said that his swing gets out of whack if he tries too hard to hit homers.

Its hard to be too disappointed with a guy who entered Thursday with an .821 OPS.

His home run total last season (37) might be near the high end of what hell reach in his career, while his total this year (on pace for about 18) will almost certainly be the low end.

His career 162-game average HR total is 30 and that seems about right for the type of hitter Henderson is, even if year to year that might be volatile.Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias has a long checklist for the upcoming offseason.

(AP Photo/Aaron Gash)What kind of overhaul is the organization planning for the offseason? u/gottagetintosomethin on RedditOrioles general manager Mike Elias traded nine major league players ahead of the deadline, and the haul of prospects he got in return was impressive.

Four of the players he dealt were under team control through 2026, and the returns for most of those players were excellent.However, Elias has dug himself quite a hole.

Heres a guess at the offseason checklist:2-3 starting pitchers3-5 relief pitchers1 utility infielder1 starting center fielderAnd thats not counting extra relief depth and perhaps another depth outfielder.

If the front office is intent on winning in 2026, the only choice is to add a ton of major league caliber players.

If it hasnt been obvious by watching the team the past two weeks, this roster is lacking depth and talent outside of a few starting pitchers and the young core.Are there any indications as to whether they plan to make significant pitching acquisitions in the offseason? Or will they wait until February and sign a pitcher in their late 30s? u/MoonlightMile5719This was my answer to a similar question in our Orioles roundtable after the trade deadline:The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

Thats why assessing this front office is so difficult.

Will Elias handle this offseason the way he did ahead of the 2024 season when he pushed his chips to the middle to acquire ace Corbin Burnes? Or will he try to piecemeal the rotation with low-ceiling starters on one-year contracts like he did in 2025?The likelihood is Elias wants to avoid the latter and achieve the former, and thats why he initiated this trade deadline fire sale to bolster the depth of his farm system.It would be shocking for Elias to go into this offseason without plans to make significant pitching additions given how the past year has gone and how important this winter is for the organization.Do you think the Orioles will try to sign Kyle Tucker or Kyle Schwarber in free agency? u/repooc21 on ReddieNo.

Tucker is going to get $400 million or more in free agency, and it wont be from the Orioles.

Schwarber wont cost quite that much, but hes also not a fit on this roster.

With Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, it wouldnt make much sense to have a permanent designated hitter.If the Orioles get a middle-of-the-order bat this offseason, it will likely be someone other than these two.

It would help if that person can also play center field.Are there any rumors about extensions? Elias needs to know that signing any extension, even of Rogers, would earn him a lot of goodwill from the fans.

u/Loose_Log_6253 on RedditThere are no extension rumors because there arent discussions or because this front office is perhaps the most tight-lipped in baseball.The assumption at this point should be that there will not be extensions because there never have been under Elias.

Since he took over as GM in November 2018, the Orioles are the only MLB team to have not signed a player to a contract extension of four-plus guaranteed years.

Over the past two years alone, the Boston Red Sox, an American League East rival in playoff contention, have signed Brayan Bello, Cedanne Rafaela, Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet.Orioles roundtable: 7 lingering questions from trade deadline fire saleRegarding goodwill from fans, its fair to say thats something that Elias probably doesnt care much about for better or worse.

Fans are right to care about extensions and the uncertainty of their favorite players becoming rivals a few years from now.

But Elias isnt going to do something just because it would make the fan base happy.What are the chances of any of our near-MLB prospects getting a run in these final weeks? Thinking Dylan Beavers, Samuel Basallo, maybe an arm or two (see what Anthony Nunez has?) u/Kitchen-Courage-6247 on RedditThe percent chance of Beavers and Basallo promotions are near 100% as long as they remain healthy.

Theres been a ton of discourse online about those prospects and why they arent already in Baltimore.The potential draft pick the Orioles could receive if either win the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2026 is certainly a factor, especially for Basallo.

The earliest a player can be promoted to the majors and still maintain his rookie eligibility for 2026 is Aug.

15.

So Beavers and Basallo watch officially begins Friday.However, the player must enter that season on two major top 100 prospect lists.

Basallo is a consensus top 15 prospect, but Beavers is top 100 on only one list (Baseball America).

The odds of Beavers being top 100 on two lists and winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award are small, but they appear large enough for the club to sacrifice two-to-three weeks worth of MLB at-bats for Beavers.Nunez is an interesting one.

Honestly, why not? If he dominates Triple-A the same way hes done so at every other level this season, whats the harm in bringing him up in September? Nunez is Rule 5 draft eligible this offseason, meaning that he has to be added to Baltimores 40-man roster to protect him from being selected.

The 24-year-old righty was one of the most intriguing prospects the Orioles acquired at the deadline.

His slider is nasty, and theres plenty of meat left on the bone for a guy who just started pitching in 2024.Related ArticlesOrioles players dig in on MLB salary cap debate: They know where were atOrioles wreak havoc on bases, hang on to beat Mariners, 5-3, for series winOrioles game Thursday vs.

Mariners resumes in 6th inning after rain delayMets calling up former Orioles draft pick Nolan McLean for big league debutJackson Holliday delivers Orioles 1st walk-off win of season, 4-3 over MarinersWhats next for Heston Kjerstad? Any sense of either how the org feels about him, or how hes feeling personally? u/Semper454 on RedditWe dont know.

Tony Mansolinos comments Im not ready to share yet, but I will talk about it over and we will figure out what we want to share with you guys, but nothing yet are definitely eyebrow raising, but theres no utility in speculating what could be going on.

Hopefully the team provides an update soon, and hopefully everything is OK with Kjerstad.What is your estimation of the starting lineup next year taking into account Beavers, Basallo, and Enrique Bradfield Jr.

u/Agentrock47_ on RedditLets assume its against a right-handed pitcher, and lets make two lineups one with Bradfield and one without.

He wont be on the opening day roster, and its not a guarantee that he even debuts in 2026.

Also, lets assume (for ease of making the lineup) that they dont add a starting-caliber player this winter.With Bradfield:Holliday 2BRutschman CHenderson SSWestburg 3BBasallo DHONeill RFCowser LFMayo 1BBradfield CFWithout Bradfield:Holliday 2BRutschman CHenderson SSWestburg 3BBasallo DHONeill RFCowser CFMayo 1BBeavers LFHave a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer..

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