Could Santander return to Orioles? | MAILBAG

Question: Is there any chance Anthony Santander will return to the Orioles? I read that he wants to come back. From: Barbara Reed 

Answer: Barbara, Anthony Santander was a very popular Oriole, and other readers have been asking that question, too, including Jerry Harris, who wonders if he would accept a one or two-year deal.

I have read lots of chatter about Santander, and he’s one of a number of well-known free agents who have yet to find a team for 2025. The Orioles assumed that Santander was moving on once he declined their $21.05 million qualifying offer for this year and they signed Tyler O’Neill.

I suppose it’s possible they’d re-sign him for a year or two, but they already have O’Neill, Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins and Heston Kjerstad to play the outfield, with Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn to play first base and DH.

I am a big fan of Santander’s, and would love to see him back, but I think he’ll find a team that would sign him for three years.

Question: Are the Orioles preparing to pounce on opportunities created by the upcoming Roki Sasaki signing?  The team that signs Sasaki will likely have to break their commitments to international free agents that team had intended to sign. A supply of desirable international free agents will find themselves scrambling for deals with new clubs once Sasaki signs. From: Craig Russell, Santa Rosa, California

Answer: Craig, the three teams that are reportedly the finalists to sign Sasaki, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays didn’t announce any international signings on Wednesday when the International Signing Period began.

Koby Perez, the Orioles’ vice president for international scouting, said the team has money left in its signing pool, so conceivably the answer is yes, but I have no idea if it’s likely to happen.

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.