Following the signing of Andrew Kittredge in the early hours of Friday, January 10th, General Manager Mike Elias is not closing the door on adding any new pieces. “We’re going to stay in the mode of looking for ways to upgrade the team,” Elias said on Friday.

Coming off a season in which the Orioles saw a second trip to October in as many years, there is a lot of hope and expectation surrounding the team.

The Orioles have been connected to Seattle Mariners All-Star Pitcher, Luis Castillo, in recent weeks. While there is never a guarantee that a trade will happen it seems that the Orioles have the depth to make a blockbuster deal work.

The starting rotation looks to be set unless something changes before Opening Day. The Orioles look to roll out a rotation of Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, and Tomoyuki Sugano, although Elias said he is “keeping all possibilities open.”

This could indicate that Baltimore is still in trade talks for either Castillo or San Diego Padres starter, Dylan Cease.

Elias gave some more insight into the construction of the roster come Opening Day, “You count up the numbers and we’re only allowed to have 13 pitchers and we’re extremely likely to carry all 13, so it’s going to be a 13 position player group, and we have more than 13 guys that are talented enough to be on the Opening Day team.”

It is no secret that Baltimore’s position group is crowded, specifically the infield group.

This means that the competition at camp is going to be fierce and players who have not already staked a claim at the big league level might be looking from the outside in at the end of March.

The Orioles might not be done adding to the roster ahead of Opening Day

The Orioles have used this offseason to replace key cogs in the machine from the past couple years. The expectation that Anthony Santander was going to be leaving this winter was on the minds of Elias and the front office when they signed outfielder Tyler O’Neill for three seasons, although there is an opt-out following the 2025 campaign.

Baltimore also brought in new reinforcement for Adley Rutschman with the signing of ex-Yankee Gary Sanchez.

Looking at the groups on paper, Elias is happy with the position players that they have in house.

Elias believes that the Orioles will be carrying 13 position players on Opening Day which means, two catchers, four outfielders and seven infielders. With the infielders and outfielders likely set for Opening Day, the competition will be coming down to the infield group throughout spring training.

The key piece remains on the table for Mike Elias and his staff. How do you replace Corbin Burnes? The answer may come after Japanese star Roki Sasaki signs. With the Dodgers and Padres rumored as favorites to land the ace, multiple teams will be looking at the trade market for a starter.

This could be good news or bad news for the Orioles who are rumored to be in talks for Castillo. Seattle could use the demand for a starting pitcher of Castillo’s caliber to drive the price up to land the hurler. This could leave Baltimore paying a higher premium for the starter’s services.

If Elias truly likes the guys in the room, he might back out of the running if the price gets too hefty.

All in all, Orioles fans should have some optimism the next few weeks leading into Spring Training. Elias is in the market to improve the team, even if he is not aggressively pursuing different options.

Baltimore’s offseason still leaves something to be had if the Orioles are unable to find a replacement for Burnes ahead of pitchers and catchers reporting.

MLB insider, Jon Paul Morosi, expects the Orioles to be active ahead of the trade deadline, even if they don’t add another arm before the season begins.