How will the Orioles fill in their infield?

Who's on first.

What's on second.

I don't know is on third.

The Orioles can round out their infield by making us wonder who or what is at shortstop.

I don't know. They don't know.

We've come a long way from the days of Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop and Chris Davis - with Ryan Flaherty the primary backup.

José Iglesias won't be the shortstop in 2021 because the Orioles traded him and the $3.5 million on his contract to the Angels for two minor league pitchers. They're going to scour the free agent market and try to clean up.

Hanser Alberto won't be the second baseman unless the Orioles re-sign him at a lower cost and insert him as the starter. The door appears to be open, with both sides willing to talk about it.

The fly in the ointment would be a team coming along with a better offer.

Davis could slot behind Trey Mancini or Ryan Mountcastle at first base. The position is unsettled, which happens when outfielders get involved and ... you know.

Rio Ruiz is the incumbent at third base, but he isn't promised a spot in the lineup. He holds the job and then it starts to slip through his fingers.

His mysterious fielding slump didn't solidify his chances. But if not Ruiz, then whom? Does he remain the starter, work in a platoon or step aside?

The decision to sign arbitration-eligible infielders Yolmer Sánchez and Pat Valaika gave the Orioles some flexibility. They have starter and utility options on hand.

Which also can add to the confusion.

The Orioles will stay in-house to decide on a first baseman, with the position likely to be fluid. We just know that Renato Núñez isn't part of the equation.

Sánchez has emerged as the favorite to play second base, where he won a Gold Glove with the White Sox in 2019. He's a definite maybe. He's also an option at third base.

Isn't this fun?

The winter shopping list wasn't supposed to include a shortstop, but here we are, once again.

The Orioles expressed early interest in Adeiny Hechavarria last offseason and preferred Iglesias' defense and potential impact at the plate. They could check in again now that he's back on the market.

Addison Russell is back in the United States after the Korea Baseball Organization's Kiwoom Heroes let him walk. Russell batted .254/.317/.336 with two home runs across 271 plate appearances. He served a domestic violence suspension in 2018.

He's a long way from top prospect status and being the starting shortstop on the 2016 World Series Cubs.

MLBTradeRumors.com predicts that Didi Gregorius will sign with the Reds for three years and $39 million, Marcus Semien will sign a one-year deal with the Angels for $14 million, defensive wizard Andrelton Simmons will agree to a one-year deal with the Yankees for $12 million and Jurickson Profar will sign a one-year deal with the Tigers for $7 million.

Profar hasn't played shortstop since 2018.

Three-time Gold Glove finalist Freddy Galvis, once a top Phillies prospect, is a free agent and likely headed to his fifth team since 2017. He was set to earn $5.5 million this summer prior to the shutdown.

The Orioles gave Iglesias a one-year deal for $2.5 million with a $3.5 million option and they aren't expected to make a bigger commitment to their next shortstop. They're allowing prospects to develop and climb the organizational ladder. They aren't seeking a long-term relationship.

This could evolve into a situation where the Orioles sign a veteran with solid defensive credentials and try to move him at the trade deadline. Iglesias could have been given the same treatment, but the season was cut to 60 games and he kept going in and out of the lineup with a quadriceps injury.

When trying to guess who's playing short, you may need to think smaller.