Leftovers from Elias video conference

The big news yesterday wasn’t a free-agent signing or trade. It wasn’t impactful to the 40-man roster.

Maybe later.

Moving in and lowering the left field wall makes it easier to recruit right-handed hitters who otherwise might grew frustrated by fly balls dying on the track. The Oriole bird logo should be replaced by Ryan Mountcastle tilting back his head.

Orioles hitters lost 72 home runs over the last three years, according to Baseball Savant. Pitchers are happy. Batters are boiling.

The club isn’t returning to the old dimensions. The field will be tilted more toward neutral with the wall brought in as much as 20 feet and as little as nine.

The change isn’t a stunner. A club official told me that he checked the new configuration and didn’t realize just how dramatic it would be, offering a hint that it wouldn’t be permanent. The only surprise for me is that it can be done for Opening Day 2025.

Elias was allowed to finally switch topics during his 27-minute video call. Here are some highlights:

Good health news.

No players underwent surgeries during the offseason that weren’t already reported.

Elias said Grayson Rodriguez, who didn’t pitch after July 31, has resolved his lat issue and should be full-go in spring training.  The Orioles expect a normal camp and hope for a healthy season from their potential staff ace.

Colton Cowser had surgery after the Wild Card series to repair a fractured left hand.

“He’s going to be in great shape,” Elias said.

Jorge Mateo had a left elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction with internal brace and flexor repair in late August. He’s eligible for arbitration.

“I think he was an underrated absence for us in the second half,” Elias said. “Whether he’s 100 percent full-go on the very, very first day of spring training is still TBD, but suffice to say, he’s going to have a very full if not a 162, something close to that season. So, he’s really somebody that we’re able to plan around fully more or less in 2025 and that hasn’t changed.”

Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells must come back from their ligament-reconstructive elbow procedures. Elias said he’s expecting mid-season returns, but it’s too early to specify a month.

“Knock on wood, their rehabs are on schedule or better right now,” Elias said.

Elias is busy and expects to stay that way.

The GM Meetings in San Antonio laid the groundwork for next month’s Winter Meetings in Dallas. Like they’re supposed to do.

“I’ve been very active. I’ll leave it at that,” Elias said.

“I’ve been talking to a lot of people. I think we have a clear idea of the types of player profiles that we’re seeking. As I’ve said, I think that our new ownership group and David Rubenstein has enabled us to be in a position to be very organized and prepared, and as soon as free agency opened during the GM Meetings we’ve been in a position to show people that we’re very serious about bringing players in.

“A lot of conversations ongoing right now. Obviously hasn’t been a super level of activity thus far, but I think as we get closer to the holidays and closer to  the Winter Meetings, we’ll see activity pick up. And I think we’re going to be active and competitive.”

New hitting coaches but similar approaches.

Co-hitting coaches Ryan Fuller and Matt Borgschulte are gone. Cody Asche will be named hitting coach, joined by assistants Tommy Joseph and Sherman Johnson.

The Orioles aren’t doing a complete overhaul of their philosophies and methods. They can change names but mostly stay the same.

“Overall, we have an offensive philosophy and a group of hitting coaches throughout the organization that are at the top of their field.” Elias said. “We had a top five offense in a lot of ways this year despite the funk that the team went into and the lineup went into in the second half with a lot of injuries. We still rate among the very top offenses. As you can see, there are teams very eager to hire hitting coaches from us, and this is something generally that remains a strength of this organization.

“But as I said as soon as the season ended, and just like I’m doing here with this press conference about the park, we’re always improving, modifying, adjusting. This is a game of evolution. I think there are areas that we can emphasize better, that we can find a better blend, and we’re doing that. We’re going to have discussions and meetings throughout the organization all winter on ways in which we can retain the best aspects of our current program, but refine and tweak areas where we think we can be a little bit smarter and a little bit better.”

The science and knowledge available to assist hitters in trying to perfect their swings isn’t a cure-all. Other methods can be employed to upgrade production with runners on base and in certain counts and scores.

“Just refining the whole program,” Elias said.

Félix Bautista could be eased back into closer role and the bullpen isn’t a finished product.

Bautista hasn’t thrown a pitch in a game since Aug. 25, 2023. His elbow is repaired. His rehab is going as planned and the Orioles think he will be a major contributor.

That doesn’t mean he’s picking  up exactly where he left off.

“We are realistic about the fact he’s coming off surgery,” Elias said. “We don’t want to overly pressurize him. We are going to want to treat him with a little extra care given the fact that he didn’t pitch (this) year and he’s coming off surgery. So, way to soon to announce roles and things like that. And I think it’s just going to be a matter of how sharp he is. But we want to give him the margin for an error that a guy coming off surgery deserves. We’ll let him and his readiness speak to roles and leverage and things like that. This may be a gradual return and it may not. I don’t think we’re there yet.

“We do have I think a good bullpen to start the offseason with. You look at the returning guys’ names and there are a lot of above-average relievers in there. And I thought Seranthony Domínguez, who’s coming back, did a great job after the deadline pitching at the end of games for us. It’s really nice to have him back. (Yenner) Cano’s been a mainstay and a rock out there. And then we have the lefties. So we’ve got a good start. We certainly will be examining bullpen opportunities throughout the offseason, but at this time we’re not making any firm commitments or plans toward what types of investments or profiles we’re looking at in the bullpen.”

The infield isn’t a priority in the offseason.

This makes sense when you consider who's returning.

Elias described it as “less of an area of need right now” than the pitching staff - the starting rotation in particular - and the outfield.

“Those are areas that are a little more pressing,” he said.

The infield hasn’t experienced the same level of loss, and Elias again spoke as if Mateo is returning to a crowded group.

Elias will consider all options in his hunt for more starters.

The Orioles have the financial flexibility and prospects to reel in a No. 1 starter but also could pivot and back-fill the rotation.

"I think we're looking at the whole menu, the whole spectrum," Elias said. "I credit the ownership change toward putting us in position to do that. As I've said, it doesn't mean that we're going to spend money indiscriminately this offseason come hell or high water. We're going to seek good talent evaluation, good long-term investments for the team. We're trying to keep a healthy franchise for a really long time. But I think if you're running a team optimally, which is a word I've been focused on, you're certainly wanting to keep the whole menu of player acquisition open, and that involves high-end free-agent deals over many years, and we've been engaged in those conversations already."