More thoughts on roster and Bundy's progress

SARASOTA, Fla. - I remain at a loss trying to figure out the Orioles' next move and their thought process behind it. I'm left to speculate and wait.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette said he could sign another outfielder, and the Orioles appear to be focused on a left-handed bat. Seth Smith satisfied a need, but not their craving.

A right-handed hitter makes sense to platoon with Smith or Hyun Soo Kim, with Joey Rickard available for the other pairing, unless the Orioles believe that Dariel Alvarez or Christian Walker could break camp with them. Or they plan on auditioning Trey Mancini in the outfield, which would go against their mantra of needing plus defenders.

My math used to tell me that the club had six starters for five spots in the rotation. Now I'm counting six outfielders if the Orioles are intent on bringing in another one. The group includes Rule 5 pick Aneury Tavarez because I'm bold enough to assume that the Orioles keep him.

I've got Tavarez, Smith, Kim, Rickard, Adam Jones and the next newbie. Maybe a left-handed hitter brings appeal because he could rotate to designated hitter. The same goes for Smith or Kim, giving manager Buck Showalter more flexibility than if the Orioles re-sign Pedro Alvarez and platoon him with Mancini.

The DH decision can't drag out for long. Alvarez and Mark Trumbo won't stay on the market the entire offseason and bringing back either one changes the rotating plan unless the Orioles suddenly decide that Trumbo could play right field against left-handers and DH when the opponent starts a right-hander.

There's an internal tug-of-war regarding Trumbo. The Orioles would like him back, but they also like the idea of getting the draft pick before the new collective bargaining agreement takes hold next winter. It's basically a win-win, except one costs a lot more than the other.

This would seem to be an ideal time to figure out whether Kim can be more than a part-timer. The Orioles have a rich tradition of platooning outfielders - fans still can't think of Gary Roenicke without including John Lowenstein - but life would be much simpler if Kim could stay in the lineup against lefties and the only timeshare was in right field.

Does the next outfielder need to bring power, especially if Trumbo and Alvarez don't return? Brandon Moss' name has been linked to the Orioles. He bats from the left side and hit 28 home runs with the Cardinals in 2016. His career .319 on-base percentage may not work against him now that the Orioles have traded for Smith.

Speculate and wait.

Duquette also mentioned how he could improve the pitching depth, but he didn't specify rotation or relief. He's been focused more on the bullpen this winter and it doesn't make much sense to go back to six starters, but maybe there's a veteran who could be stashed at Triple-A Norfolk. A spot on the Tides' rotation could open up if Tyler Wilson or Joe Gunkel break camp as a long reliever.

Dylan Bundy figured to be included among the Orioles' starters and the odds increased with Gallardo's removal. Showalter has stated that the club isn't placing any restrictions on Bundy beyond the norm, though it will be interesting to track the innings increase after the right-hander logged 109 2/3 last season.

"There shouldn't be too many restrictions at all now," Bundy said Thursday night on the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan. "A full year healthy under my belt at the big league level. I feel like I took a step forward last year with that."

Bundy posted a 5.11 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in five September starts, failing to last more than 5 2/3 innings, but he insisted that he wasn't worn out down the stretch.

"My arm felt good the whole season, even at the end," he said. "I didn't really feel tired or anything like that. I think it's just normal wear and tear that every pitcher goes through. Even though it was only 110 innings or so, that was a big mark for me, just like 200 innings is for any other starter."

Bundy didn't become a starter until July 17, but it was much earlier than anticipated. The Orioles seemed intent on keeping him in the 60-75 inning range and maybe slip him into the rotation in September.

"My guess is it just developed," he said. "I heard the rumors and stuff that I might get some starts at the end of the year, but I didn't expect it to be three days after the All-Star break in Tampa. It snuck up on me, but I took it in stride and I enjoyed it.

"I had a great time in the bullpen. I don't know what the win-loss was and it doesn't really matter. Just going out to the bullpen and learning from those guys. Darren O'Day, (Brad) Brach and (Zach) Britton out there helped me a lot.

"I think it actually helped me as a starter as far as pitchability and stuff like that. There are times you've got guys on second and third, one out or no outs, it's kind of like a bullpen situation. You've got to figure out how to get out of it without giving up any runs or you're going to lose the game."

Hall of Famer Jim Palmer talks about pitching to the scoreboard and Bundy is grasping the concept.

"I'm still learning," he said. "I've got a lot of learning to do. But if you have a six-run lead and you've got a guy on third base and certain hitters at the plate, who cares if you give up one run to get the other two or three outs? In that inning, one or two runs is fine."

Bundy will be throwing to a new catcher with Welington Castillo replacing Matt Wieters. Wieters remains on the market, but it still seems unlikely that he'd re-sign with the Orioles.

"It's kind of my first time going through it," Bundy said. "Wieters was great back there behind the plate. He was a good backstop, a good pitch-caller and he could throw guys out for you. I've heard that's what Castillo can do, so I'm looking forward to meeting him and throwing to him."

Bundy also needs to meet new pitching coach Roger McDowell, who's replacing Dave Wallace. Bullpen coach Dom Chiti accompanied Wallace to Atlanta, but former Double-A Bowie pitching coach Alan Mills should make for a smooth transition.

"I was surprised that they had to go or whatever happened, but it's a business and people come and people go, just like players. You just wish them well and hope they have success at other places," Bundy said.

"I've had Mills as a pitching coach in Double-A and short-season A, so I know Millsy pretty well."

Bundy knows that Mills wants to instill the same bulldog mentality that kept him in the majors for 12 seasons.

"Absolutely. Just attacking hitters," Bundy said.

"You could see it between (Mychal) Givens and (Ashur) Tolliver and Donnie Hart, the way they attacked hitters. Millsy was our pitching coach in Double-A. Just really going at guys, not being afraid to go inside with a fastball even though it's a 1-0 count or something. Go inside."

For Bundy, it's most important to go another full season without needing the disabled list. The elbow, forearm and shoulder are fine.

"No injuries and I'm coming into spring training healthy," he said. "I've put the injuries in the past now."

* The Orioles signed right-hander Trey Haley to a minor league deal, according to Baseball America's transactions page.

Haley, 26, was a second-round pick of the Indians in 2008. He was 2-4 with a 5.76 ERA last season in 38 relief appearances with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Former Triple-A Norfolk reliever Pedro Beato signed with the Phillies. And former Orioles infielder Everth Cabrera signed a minor league deal with the White Sox.