Question: I think Mike Elias is a great talent evaluator, and I think the Orioles are lucky to have him. I like what he is saying about listening to new voices from the outside. Of course, we will have to see if he hires someone with autonomy to actually make these changes. What are your thoughts? From: Don C

Answer: Don, if Elias hires a general manager, that person will work under him. I don’t know how duties would be divided, but I would expect Elias to make important decisions himself. That’s the case with most teams that have a president of baseball operations and a general manager.

I think it’s important that there are new thoughts from the outside, and it’s important that if someone is hired that Elias listens to them and acts on their advice. I don’t think they would be working autonomously.

Question: Did Samuel Basallo dislocate his shoulder, and is he looking at surgery? From: Chris Garriott 

Answer: Chris, I think if Samuel Basallo dislocated his shoulder, he wouldn’t be catching. His performance during the second half of the season has obviously been affected.

As for surgery, the Orioles wouldn’t tell us until the procedure is about to happen or after it’s completed.

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