The Super Bowl has been played, and the Kansas City Chiefs have been crowned the victors. And for those of us counting down, it is now the official start of the 2024 baseball season.
As players start to report this week and spring training games officially start on February 22, we at The Baltimore Battery have gathered questions across social media platforms to kick off the 2024 season.
Let’s jump on in and see what some of the burning questions are, as we embark on a new season of baseball. It’s time for another edition of Battery Q&A.
With Kansas City extending Bobby Witt Jr. for 11 years, will the O’s extend any of their young players? – Ray Kowatch via Facebook
Well, Ray, the good news is that notorious baseball agent Scott Boras has stated that O’s GM Mike Elias has been calling regularly about extending both Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday. I would imagine the same for Adley Rutschman and his representatives.
With new ownership taking over led by billionaire David Rubenstein, I do believe that we should see some extensions, but most likely not until next year, once ownership is firmly in place.
Also, check out Jason Benowitz’s article that goes a little more in-depth on the possibilities of extensions for the O’s.
Do you think we see another middle relief pitcher join the fold? – Griff Carey via Facebook
Honestly, Griff, I don’t so. I think it’s been forgotten that the O’s will be getting a healthy Dillon Tate back this season, and based on videos posted around social media, he looks like he is back to his former self or even better.
I do believe with a healthy Tate, along with Craig Kimbrel in the backend and Tyler Wells likely joining the pen now with the acquisition of Corbin Burnes, the Birds have deeper and stronger relief pitching than people realize.
Knocking on the door, the organization also has Nick Vespi and Bruce Zimmermann, plus strong arms like Mike Baumann and Jacob Webb, who saw considerable time last season.
It’s funny how a year ago, everybody was all in on following the Tampa Bay Rays blueprint. Now, everyone seems to be pushing for the big contracts. – Ken Holsopple via Facebook
This is more of a statement with an outline for a question, though it still has an answer.
The way Major League Baseball has set up the draft, there is more benefit to signing young stars than waiting until they hit free agency.
Hitting in the draft instead of playing the bidding game only hurts a team in the long run. The San Francisco Giants have bet on big contracts the past three years and have missed each time, leaving them scrambling for holes to fill.
Taking the blueprint of the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros is a good way to build a strong contender. You also have the ability to develop replacements for players who depart, get injured or are traded.
The Orioles are in the right trajectory, and with new ownership, you should start seeing some extensions by next year and even possibly resigning key players like Anthony Santander and Corbin Burnes.
Should the Orioles give Trevor Bauer a chance? – Birdland via various social media platforms
The excitement surrounding new ownership and the trade for a true front-line starter in Corbin Burnes has excited Birdland in a way that hasn’t been seen since the 1983 World Series victory.
Along with that excitement, many people, including O’s legend Adam Jones, have posed as to whether or not Trevor Bauer should be signed to the Birds.
Bauer pitched in Japan last year and went 11-4 with a 2.59 ERA across 156.2 innings. He amassed 160 strikeouts to 34 walks while holding opponents to a 1.13 WHIP.
Those are impressive numbers in a league that is full of pure natural hitters. Bauer has not pitched in the majors since the 2021 season, so there is some rust in that category.
He would be cheap, only needing the league minimum with possible incentives to motivate, but the media blitz, along with the curious nature of his suspension, is not something you would want to bring to a young team with vibes as high as the Orioles.
As good a pitcher as Bauer is, and he has been posting videos of himself working out and staying in shape, sometimes the baggage that comes with a player is not worth messing up the atmosphere.
Of course, this is only opinion, and until we see him back in the majors, we don’t know what kind of storm, if any, that will follow him and whatever team does give him an opportunity.
We had a healthy amount of questions to sort through and decide from. However, we went with the ones that we felt were pressing and aligned with the offseason and the season coming up.
We hope you enjoyed this edition and are ready for our next round of Battery Q&A to see if your question makes the cut.
What do you think of our answers? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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