Should the Orioles have re-signed Ryan O’Hearn? | MAILBAG

Question: The trade of Ryan O’Hearn to the Padres at the trade deadline in 2025 looks worse and worse. And I don’t believe that any of the players we got in exchange for him and Ramón Laureano are doing anything in our system. How terrific would his bat look in this lineup? From: Stacey Kagan

Answer: Stacey, I am a huge admirer of Ryan O’Hearn’s. He’s an excellent player and a great guy.

However, the Orioles signed Pete Alonso to play first base in the offseason, and he’s had a fine season. The feeling here is that they wanted to show their fanbase that they were capable of a big splash, and fans were excited about that trade.

O’Hearn’s had a really good season with Pittsburgh, but Alonso’s has been better.

If the Orioles had Alonso playing first, O’Hearn would mostly be a left-handed hitting designated hitter and occasional outfielder.

As for Laureano, he’s out for the season with a hip injury.

The Orioles got six minor league prospects for O’Hearn and one of them, first baseman Victor Figueroa, has just been promoted from Frederick to Chesapeake because he’s hitting well.

Another, left-hander Boston Bateman, had been pitching well for the Keys, but he left Sunday’s game with a hip/flexor injury. He’s considered an excellent prospect, who’s rated sixth among Oriole prospects in MLB Pipeline’s ratings.

Another pitcher, reliever Tyson Neighbors, is No. 28 among Oriole prospects.

The Orioles wanted to restock their farm system, and the players they got for O’Hearn and Laureano helped do that. They didn’t expect them to contribute for a few years. They weren’t looking for an immediate payoff.

Question: Not knowing the complexities of the 40-man roster, they have Creed Willems in Norfolk, who at least seems to have some pop. He’s not on the 40.  And I thought I had heard his name as potential trade fodder. What is the negative to adding him to the 40, calling him up? From: Steven Clarke, Virginia

Answer: Steven, I’ve gotten a few questions about Creed Willems recently, including from Marc Goodman.

Willems is rated No. 17 among Oriole prospects, and I would also like to see him get a shot.

However, Willems is viewed more as an offensive-minded catcher than a defensive one. He’s hitting .256 with a .773 OPS with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. He also plays first base.

I think the Orioles would prefer, in a playoff push, to use catchers with some big league experience like Chadwick Tromp, even if he isn’t a strong hitter.

On Monday, they swapped out Sam Huff, who was hitting only .121 and added Yohel Pozo, who does have major league experience.

Hopefully, they’ll get Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo back relatively soon and this question will be moot.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.