Why does Roch's expectations matter?
As one of two primary media conduits for the Orioles owned MASN, it's reasonable to assume specific comments Roch makes aren't random. He's been doing this long enough that specific comments like this, like floating Santander trade availability aren't happenstance.
So you likely make that comment (because it's utterly unnecessary in terms of reporting or opinion) because you want to create one of a couple of narratives....
1) Santander is getting traded and it's more palatable to a fanbase if you sell that he's not part of a future. That falls into the rebuilding argument that nearly everyone accepts. That's the case he's not-so-indirectly making.
2) You are using the situation to lower the expectations of the timeline for rebuilding in general. There's a reason nearly all of the people that report on the Orioles say "still we're in the middle of an extended rebuild".
So it could just be about Santander or the Orioles or both (two birds, one stone) ...or I guess you could believe that it's random and he's just talking out his ass.