SARASOTA, Fla. — Baltimore Sun Orioles reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer will answer fans’ questions throughout Orioles spring training and the season.

Here are JCM’s thoughts on several questions from readers:

Editor’s note: Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Email jameyer@baltsun.com with questions for next Friday’s mailbag.

Should the Orioles have re-signed Anthony Santander? @peteh98 on X

Santander caused quite the stir Thursday when he said the Orioles’ contract offer this offseason “wasn’t even close” to something he’d accept.

“Nah. Zero chance. Zero chance at all,” he said with a smile after the Orioles’ spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Santander signed with Toronto for $92.5 million over five years. Other than it being a three-year deal, it’s unclear what the Orioles’ offer was. Orioles fans reacted as expected to this news. It’s never fun to hear that a fan-favorite player coming off a 44-homer season was, in his mind, low-balled by the Orioles.

In what’s becoming a cliche in this space, two things can be true at the same time:Santander has the right to feel dismayed about the way the Orioles pursued him in free agency.

The Orioles might be better off having not re-signed Santander.

Now, that’s not to say that just plopping Santander onto this roster wouldn’t make the Orioles better. Of course it would. There was still a case to be made late in the offseason for Baltimore to bring back Santander, and the front office thought so, evidenced by its offer to him.

Now, was that offer something Santander found unreasonable? It appears so. But would it have made sense to give Santander $90 million on top of the $49.5 million for outfielder Tyler O’Neill?

Mike Elias and company clearly had their sights set on O’Neill, who it’s worth noting is better than Santander on a per-plate appearance basis. O’Neill is also a better defender, and while his injury history is extensive, having him on the roster instead of Santander allows for the flexibility to give prospect Heston Kjerstad more playing time. (O’Neill has drastic splits, while Santander is platoon-neutral as a switch hitter.)

It’s weird seeing Santander in Blue Jays blue. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

When will Trevor Rogers and Chayce McDermott be available this season? — George from Catonsville

These two pitchers might be the most overlooked on the 40-man roster. Well, that’s not true. Tyler Wells, who is coming back from elbow surgery, probably fits that description best. The 6-foot-8 righty could be a true dark horse for the Orioles in the second half, potentially as a late-inning reliever.

But Rogers and McDermott have the potential to play significant roles on the 2025 Orioles despite beginning the season injured and not having clear paths back to the majors. The Orioles are hoping they’re both throwing off the mound near the end of spring training, which could put their potential returns in April or May.

Rogers, when healthy, has been an effective starter in the major leagues, and he was encouraged by a velocity bump this offseason. The Orioles clearly saw something in him when they acquired him last summer, hoping to recapture the left-hander’s 2021 form when he was an All-Star. McDermott, when he’s throwing strikes, has electric stuff that can play out of the rotation or bullpen. Repeating his mechanics has been a persistent issue in his career, but there’s a chance it clicks this season and he forces his way onto the Orioles’ roster. Or perhaps it’s more likely the Orioles convert him to a bullpen role in the second half and hope that his stuff levels up in short-relief duties.

How concerned should fans be about Grayson Rodriguez? — Tommy M. from Louisville

Frankly, baseball people should be concerned about every person in their life who chucks a 5-ounce sphere as hard as they can on a regular basis. Pitching injuries in the game today are seemingly inevitable, and the epidemic is only getting worse. But should Orioles fans be especially concerned about Rodriguez? Should they think of him any differently today than two weeks ago? Well, that depends on what they thought two weeks ago.

Before his most recent injury, fans saw Rodriguez as the future bona fide ace of the Orioles. That’s an understandable way to view the 25-year-old right-hander considering his former top prospect status and the flashes he’s shown in the big leagues. But perhaps the anxiety from some in the fan base regarding Rodriguez’s future and the makeup of the Orioles’ rotation without him is a product of those high hopes. At this stage in his career, Rodriguez is an effective big league starter who has been challenged by the injury bug — specifically three separate ailments in the past 11 months — but he’s not yet an ace or a No. 1.

While the rotation is clearly worse without him, the Orioles’ starting pitching depth could make his absence less impactful. The pitcher who could replace Rodriguez, who posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.24 WHIP last season, in the rotation is Albert Suárez, who posted a 3.70 ERA and 1.29 WHIP last year. That’s not to say Suárez is better than Rodriguez, of course, but instead a point that Rodriguez’s potential is what’s driving many of these emotions.

Would the Orioles be better off had they signed Corbin Burnes or Blake Snell? Of course. But was it smart for Elias to bring in two veteran starters — including one in Charlie Morton who’s rarely injured — instead of just the one that most assumed he’d acquire? Yes.

It’s also worth noting that the Orioles have said Rodriguez’s elbow injury is not on the medial side where the ulnar collateral ligament is. He had triceps soreness accompanying inflammation near the back of his elbow, not tightness in his forearm. And he received a cortisone shot to reduce inflammation, not a platelet-rich plasma injection to help heal a partially torn ligament (like what Kyle Bradish received last spring).

Any elbow injury is worrying, but the farther away from the UCL, oftentimes the better. That’s not to say there shouldn’t be concern about Rodriguez’s health and his future. Pitchers get hurt. Injuries beget injuries. But it’s too early for doom and gloom for Rodriguez and the Orioles’ rotation.

Have a question for next week’s mailbag? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.