Addressing some of the areas that need improving

The Orioles have made three moves this winter that can be termed as significant, signing catcher Welington Castillo, trading for corner outfielder Seth Smith and re-signing outfielder Mark Trumbo. They moved pitcher Yovani Gallardo in the process, eliminating the extra starter and the $11 million owed to him this year.

They also chose two outfielders in the Rule 5 draft to increase the camp competition, though Anthony Santander already was a longshot coming from the Single-A level and recovering from shoulder surgery.

Agreeing to terms on 2017 contracts with third baseman Manny Machado, starter Chris Tillman and closer Zach Britton for a combined $32.95 million prior to arbitration hearings also is noteworthy.

Has the team taken the necessary steps toward contending again and perhaps claiming more than just the second wild card? Not if the rotation again posts a collective 4.72 ERA, though its improvement in September provided a muscular push into the postseason.

Other areas in need of improvement include the .234/.301/.391 slash line against left-handers, the lowest average in the American League and 29th in the majors behind only the Dodgers (.214), who seemed to get along just fine. It doesn't work for everyone, however.

Smith is a career .202 hitter against lefties, so he's not a solution. But he owns a career .344 on-base percentage and the Orioles, at .317, continued to rank near the bottom.

Trumbo hit .173/.223/.385 against left-handers last season. Adam Jones hit .218/.268/.313 against them, Jonathan Schoop hit .243/.276/.412, Chris Davis hit .217/.312/.400, Caleb Joseph was 3-for-36 and Hyun Soo Kim was 0-for-18. Davis and Kim are the two left-handed hitters in the bunch.

Nolan Reimold had a .183/.267/.298 slash line against lefties and Pedro Alvarez was 9-for-37. They're both free agents. Michael Bourn was 25-for-70 (.357), but he's a career .254/.310/.334 hitter against lefties. Angel Pagan, who bats from both sides, is a career .267/.311/.398 hitter against them. They're both on the market and have drawn interest from the Orioles.

Castillo batted .278/.346/.522 last year and is a career .287/.354/.485 hitter versus left-handers. There's a check in his favor. Joey Rickard appeared in only 85 games, but he batted .313/.367/.494 in 90 plate appearances against lefties.

Machado batted .329/.393/.526 against lefties last year. He can hit anyone.

The Orioles stole only 19 bases last season, fewest in the majors, and they're not exactly built for speed in 2017. Smith hasn't attempted a steal since going 1-for-1 with the Padres in 2014 and is 20-for-27 in 10 major league seasons. Rule 5 pick Aneury Tavarez had 20 steals last year, but 18 came at Double-A Portland and he may not stick with the Orioles.

Tavarez had 29 steals at low Single-A Greenville in 2013, but he was caught 15 times.

Rickard led the club with four steals and he didn't play after July 20. A full season from the former Rule 5 pick should help, assuming he breaks camp with the team. That's not a certainty.

Machado stole 20 bases in 2015 and none last season on only three attempts.

There's also the group that saw its production at the plate nosedive in the second half. A stronger finishing kick would put less pressure on the pitching staff.

Here's a comparison between slash lines before and after the All-Star break:

Schoop: .304/.338/.509 - .225/.252/.391
Machado: .318/.375/.569 - .266/.306/.492
Trumbo: .288/.341/.582 - .214/.284/.470
Kim: .329/.410/.454 - .275/.353/.386
Davis: .237/.348/.497 - .200/.313/.412

Left-handers batted .366/.464/.561 against reliever Mychal Givens. The Orioles convinced him to start throwing his changeup and the pitch could allow Givens to better defend himself.

Tillman was 12-2 with a 3.41 ERA and 1.226 WHIP in 19 starts in the first half and 4-4 with a 4.45 ERA and 1.398 WHIP in 11 starts after the break, but he also came down with a sore shoulder that forced him on the disabled list.

Right-handers hit .301/.351/.491 against southpaw Wade Miley and left-handers hit .234/.303/.367. Teams will continue to stack their lineups with right-handers until he gives them a reason not to do it.

Left-handers hit .294/.378/.506 against Ubaldo Jimenez and right-handers hit .249/.336/.354. Think of Miley in reverse.

Kevin Gausman offered reverse splits, with right-handers hitting .288/.345/.467 and left-handers hitting .232/.272/.387.