Will the Orioles make the playoffs this season? | MAILBAG

Question: The Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox are ahead of the Orioles in betting odds. Do you agree with this assessment? From: Timothy Fowler

Answer: Tim, I’m not a gambler, though I do pay attention to predicted win totals and have reported them.

Spring training is a hard time to assess other clubs because I’m hyper-focused on the Orioles and don’t pay a lot of attention to the other teams they’re playing.

Often, the Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox don’t play many of their regulars when they visit Sarasota.

Overall, I think the East is going to be very strong, and I think the Orioles will be a contender for a playoff spot. That’s as far as I’m willing to go now.

Question: From a distance it seems like Heston Kjerstad has had a decent spring, showing some power and cutting down on strikeouts. But it seems unlikely he’ll start the season in Baltimore. If he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, will that count as his final option to the minors? From: Russell Turner

Answer: Russell, I agree that it seems unlikely that Heston Kjerstad will start the season with the Orioles, and if he spends more than 20 days on option to the minor leagues, it does count as his final option.

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.