Why has there been no talk about a Means return to Orioles? | MAILBAG

Question: Why has there been no discussion about bringing back starting pitcher John Means? From: Jeffrey Shupe

Answer: Jeffrey, it’s a popular question, and it’s recently been asked by Mitch, James Martin, Chris Kiyak and Bill Bellistri, among others.

During the Winter Meetings, there was some chatter that the Boston Red Sox were interested in Means, but that’s the only thing I’ve heard.

I would expect that teams, including the Orioles, will become more interested in Means when he gets closer to being able to pitch. He had Tommy John surgery last June, and might not be ready to pitch competitively until after the All-Star break.

If a team signed Means now, they’d have to clear a 40-man roster spot, even though they could put him on the 60-day injured list in spring training, and I’d think he’d want a major league contract.

Means is a personal favorite of mine, and I would love to see him back with the Orioles. Here’s hoping they’ll be able to make a deal because he could add maturity and experience to the rotation later in the season.

Question:  I can understand the Orioles’ reluctance to sign a top- flight starting pitcher when in order to satisfy Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday they will be required to invest a tremendous amount of money. I’m more concerned with having to make up 40-plus home runs. What do you think? From: Jack Kozma

Answer: Jack, I think it would be very difficult to sign Henderson, Rutschman and Holliday to long-term contracts. They can and will try, but it seems like it would be hard to do.

I think they could have afforded to sign Corbin Burnes, if he had been willing, to a long-term contract and have some money left over for future extensions.

As for Anthony Santander’s 44 home runs, I think with Tyler O’Neill, who hit 31 home runs last year, Heston Kjerstad getting a full opportunity, and more power from Colton Cowser, replacing those home runs might not be a big deal.

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.