Has the Orioles’ window for contention closed? | MAILBAG

Question: Are you surprised at how short the window for contention was for the Orioles?  Not only is this season a disaster so far but the minor league teams seem to have already been stripped of any true prospects outside of Samuel Basallo. Give us some encouraging news. From: Michael Soldavini

Answer: Michael, I wouldn’t say the Orioles’ window for contention has closed. Most of their top prospects of recent years are still young, and the team’s prospects have had injuries. If the team had Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, all of whom are on the injured list, I think they’d be in contention.

Most of the depth pieces signed haven’t performed well, but I think had the team not had the injuries it’s had since last June when Bradish and Wells were hurt, they’d still be good.

Question:. Is it possible that Maverick Handley holds the backup catcher job, and Gary Sánchez, who is almost useless at the plate, is DFA’d when he comes off the injury list? From: Michael Janofsky

Answer: Michael, I’m a big fan of Maverick Handley’s, but I think the backup catcher’s job is still Sánchez’s when he’s ready to play. His return isn’t imminent, but I think he’ll probably hold the job until Samuel Basallo is ready. The Orioles have $8.5 million invested in Sánchez, and while he hasn’t produced, I think they’d like to hang on to him and hope he gets hot near the trade deadline in July.

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.