We’re almost to the halfway point in January and top free agents Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Framber Valdez, Cody Bellinger, Ranger Suárez and Zac Gallen remain on the market.

The Orioles are linked to the starters. Nothing seems to have changed in that regard.

Their last piece of business was outrighting outfielder Will Robertson to Triple-A Norfolk after he cleared waivers. The situation with outfielder Jhonkensy Noel hasn’t been resolved after the Orioles designated him for assignment last Wednesday.

We know more about the promotional schedule and the upcoming Birdland Caravan. Otherwise, we continue to wait for the other big offseason shoe to drop.

Here’s another batch of potential questions for players confirmed for the Caravan that begins on Jan. 22.

Samuel Basallo

How valuable were those 31 major league games last season in preparing him for 2026?

What is he hoping to improve on in his first full season?

Is he confident that he’ll play a full season and has a job waiting for him?

Can he leave his first baseman’s mitt at home after the Orioles signed Pete Alonso?

Just like Adley Rutschman, Basallo can talk about new catching coach Joe Singley and having former major league catcher Hank Conger as bullpen coach. And new manager Craig Albernaz was an exceptional defensive catcher in the minors.

What about the perks that come with veteran leaders like Alonso and Taylor Ward?

How much of that extension money has he spent?

Trevor Rogers

The most obvious question, and he’s gonna hear it a lot, is whether he can pitch at the same level as he did in 2025.

Any changes to his offseason routine or is he doing the exact same as last winter?

How’s his health after reporting to camp last year with a right knee dislocation? Anyone who was injured in spring training or during the season, and the list is long enough to be used as a tarp, will be asked for a physical update.

Talk about a rotation that just added Shane Baz and brought back Zach Eflin.

Talk about where he might slot into this rotation.

Pete Alonso is a teammate. Discuss.

Drew French, Mitch Plassmeyer and Ryan Klimek are back. Thoughts?

His early impressions of Albernaz.

Hey, how about that fifth-place Cy Young vote?

Tyler Wells

Does he believe that he’s all the way back now from his elbow-reconstructive surgery and ready for a heavy workload?

Where does he think he’s going to work, out of the rotation or bullpen? Has the team offered any hints?

Does he have a role preference?

Anything different about his offseason routine, including whether he’s working on a new pitch or tweaking his repertoire?

Drew French, Mitch Plassmeyer and Ryan Klimek are back. Thoughts?

How about the Albernaz hire?

Pete Alonso is a teammate. Discuss.

Jordan Westburg

Yeah, his health. Hamstring and ankle injuries limited him to 85 games, after he appeared in only 107 in 2024.

Tying into the above question, how important is it to Westburg that he play a full season without pausing on the injured list.

Does he expect to mostly play third base while backing up at second and maybe shortstop?

Anything relating to his offseason work.

Has he spoken to Albernaz, and if so, what stood out?

His .711 slugging percentage on sliders was third highest in the majors in a minimum 40 at-bats ending in the pitch, and second highest by an Oriole in the Pitch Tracking era (since 2008)  behind Manny Machado’s .750 in 2018. So … what’s that all about?

Alonso. Teammate. Discuss.

Ryan Helsley

Probably nothing much here since his video call with the media, but there’s always the roster moves that followed. And keep in mind that lots of people show up at the Caravan who didn’t bother to sign into the Zoom.

And keep in mind that, because of this, pitch tipping might be treated like a fresh topic. Same goes for the opt-out clause in his contract, opponents hitting .422 with a .667 slugging percentage last summer against his high-velocity fastball, and how he reached out to former Cardinals teammates like Tyler O’Neill, Andrew Kittredge, Kyle Gibson, Dylan Carlson and Jack Flaherty to learn more about the Orioles. Sorry, Ryan.

Has he started to develop a relationship with Drew French, Mitch Plassmeyer and Ryan Klimek?

Is he noticing anything different about the Orioles’ pitching philosophies compared to his time with the Cardinals and (briefly) the Mets?

Still the closer? Yes? OK, thanks.

Jeremiah Jackson

Is he expecting to get a fair shot at the utility job?

Is he sure that there’s going to be a utility job?

How many positions does he expect to play in spring training and how many gloves will he bring?

How important will it be for Jackson to gain the team’s trust in his defense and is he confident that he can do it?

How will this camp experience compare to 2025, when he was an invite who hadn’t played in the majors?

Dietrich Enns

Is this his first invitation to a team’s offseason fan event and if so, does that make him feel better about his chances of being on the Opening Day roster?

Does his one-year contract that guarantees $2.625 million and includes a $3.5 million club option, which he signed on Nov. 3, make him feel better about his chances of being on the Opening Day roster?

What’s next after setting career highs in games (24), innings (46 1/3) and strikeouts (49) combined between the Tigers and Orioles?

Does he expect to be used in a variety of roles again?

Can he lower the .353 average posted by left-handed hitters last season and their .333 career average against him? And why does that happen?

Drew French, Mitch Plassmeyer and Ryan Klimek are back. How much did they help? Yeah, discuss.

Dylan Beavers

What did he learn about the majors and himself in those 35 games last season?

Areas to improve?

What kind of playing time does he anticipate? Sharing right field with Tyler O’Neill?

Is he competing for a job in camp?

The whole veteran leadership benefiting the younger players thing. Just put it in question form.

Beavers drew 23 walks through his first 30 career games, tying Glenn Gulliver (1982) for the most free passes through 30 career games in franchise history. Has he ever heard of Gulliver during his travels?

He reached base safely 46 times through his first 30 career games, becoming the third Oriole in franchise history to accomplish the feat after Billy Ripken and Curtis Goodwin. Has he ever heard of them?

What’s his limit on tolerating “Leave it to Beavers” references?

Grant Wolfram

How does he view his rookie season, with his 5.40 ERA and 1.875 WHIP in 21 appearances?

How troublesome are the walks – 15 over 26 2/3 innings?

What was it like to be a 28-year-old rookie, and did he wonder whether he’d ever get a real shot?

Did nine scoreless appearances out of 10, and 11 of 13 with only two earned runs allowed from July 25-Sept. 11, strengthen his chances of making the Opening Day roster, or is he concerned about the overall numbers?

Speaking of numbers, is he still gonna wear 86 as if he should be running pass routes?

Drew French, Mitch Plassmeyer and Ryan Klimek … You know.