Elias: "We’re going to stay in the mode of looking for ways to upgrade the team”

Are the Orioles finished with their roster retooling? Is it safe to post a mock and avoid jumping back into it for revisions?

Camp doesn’t open for about five weeks. Stretch the hamstrings and be prepared to jump.

The Orioles aren’t guaranteeing another free agent signing or a trade before pitchers and catchers report. However, they aren’t shut down. Pitching is always desired, whether it’s starters or relievers. Business and minds are open.

“We like the strength of the team right now,” said executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias. “We think we’ve got a really great defense, an offense that has proven what it can do and I think still has a lot of ceiling to it as these young players continue to grow, hopefully, and a right-handed bat like Tyler O’Neill in the mix and Gary Sánchez in the backup catcher spot. We really like the look of the offense and defense, and the rotation has a lot of depth, a lot of options, a lot of experience. And then there’s also youth in the rotation options that we have. So we think it’s a very strong group that’s going to have us very competitive in the American League East.

“I think the bullpen is also going to be a big strength of this team with a lot of experience and also upside and just all-around talent there and a lot of hard throwers. So we feel the team is in a really good spot, but we’re very happy that we’ve got a ton offseason left, and we will be searching every day for deals and upgrades where we can find them, whether that’s the remaining free-agent market or trade possibilities. And we’ve seen that sometimes those things can happen late close to camp. We’re going to stay in the mode of looking for ways to upgrade the team.”

The bullpen is easier to predict after the Orioles gave veteran right-hander Andrew Kittredge a contract for 2025 that guarantees $10 million, including the $1 million buyout. They could exercise the $9 million option for 2026.

The signing isn’t official and the Orioles aren’t commenting until it happens. The weekend could create a slight delay.

Dropping Albert Suárez from the rotation and putting him back in a swingman role gives the club eight relievers, including Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano, Seranthony Domínguez, Cionel Pérez, Gregory Soto and Keegan Akin. This is a solid unit that has the potential to be much more, depending on the height of Bautista’s bounce back from elbow ligament-reconstructive surgery and long layoff.

Domínguez and Kittredge can offer save support and maybe keep Cano in setup. Soto was much better with the Orioles after his third appearance, and Akin turned in the best season of his career to earn a raise from $825,000 to $1.475 million. Pérez’s ERA has grown from 1.40 in 66 games to 3.54 in 65 and 4.53 in 62, so he’s got to reverse where he’s trending.

Kittredge needs to get back to having fairly even splits. Right-handers hit .188/.247/.291 against him last season and left-handers hit .296/.337/.571. However, right-handers are slashing .248/.286/.378 during his career, compared to .244/.320/.455 by lefties.

This isn’t a small sample size. The guy turns 35 in March and is approaching his ninth major league season.

The mileage is reduced by Tommy John surgery in 2022 that limited him to a combined 31 appearances over two seasons before his career-high 74 last year, when he posted a 2.80 ERA and 1.132 WHIP in 70 2/3 innings.

The Orioles are quite familiar with Kittredge because he spent his first seven seasons with the Rays. He’s made 27 appearances against them, including one start. Fourteen came at Camden Yards and he registered a 7.24 ERA in 13 2/3 innings.

Kittredge faced the Orioles last season in back-to-back games in St. Louis and recorded a pair of holds while tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed only two runs over his last 19 appearances.

The 40-man roster is full and will require a corresponding move for Kittredge. It still includes relievers Bryan Baker, Colin Selby, Luis González and Kade Strowd – the last two having their contracts selected to avoid exposure in the Rule 5 draft. Selby made the Wild Card roster after logging four scoreless innings with only one hit allowed and five strikeouts.

The starters are set on paper with Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer and Tomoyuki Sugano, but Elias said the club is “keeping all possibilities open.” Rumors persist of trade talks.

“We’re very fortunate to be in a spot where we can examine opportunities as they come up, so we’re staying in contact with everyone and we’re open for business and fluid, and that could come in a number of shapes and sizes, if at all,” he said. “We’re going to be remaining in the shopping department the rest of the offseason.”

Morton signed for $15 million after four seasons with the Braves and 30-plus starts each year.

“He’s done a tremendous amount in his career, he’s coming off four really strong seasons in a row. Very healthy, productive seasons with a great team that’s won a championships in there. So there’s a lot to like,” Elias said.

“I think particularly with him, as we had early discussions with his group, he’s at a point in his career where he’s pretty choosy about with whom and where he plays. He had a short list of teams that he was considering and we were on it. We felt like it was a good match from that standpoint, a guy who really wanted to play with us, liked the look and the potential of our team, and kind of wanted to go compete with us in the American League East and do it in a part of the country that he wanted to be in. It was kind of early traction from that standpoint and several weeks ago we finally made a deal.”

Morton revealed in a video call with the media that he contemplated retirement as his 41^st birthday approached in November. He allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings in his final outing on Sept. 29, with the Royals homering twice. It left a bad taste.

“I thought that there was a really good chance that that was going to be my last year,” Morton said. “I got a chance to pitch in a couple games down the stretch, and my last start, I remember walking off the field and just this like sinking feeling in my stomach. It just didn’t feel right. I'm sure a lot of guys toward the end of their careers, they think about retiring, shutting it down, and you really want to walk off the field the last time and feel good about it. And a lot of guys don't get that opportunity.

“I just didn't feel good about it. I felt like I could have done better. I felt like I still had the tools to be a good pitcher in the big leagues.”

If the rotation seems crowded, it has nothing on the position side of the roster.

O’Neill signed a three-year contract, with an opt-out after 2025, to replace Anthony Santander. Sánchez replaced backup catcher James McCann, who also remains on the market. There are at least nine infielders, including Coby Mayo and Emmanuel Rivera, for seven spots.

“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,” Elias said. “We’re definitely not in need of more position players from a number standpoint, but in my job and at this time in the offseason, I never want to rule out the possibility of trades or things like that that could alter the landscape of the group.

“That’s not something that we’re definitely going to do by any means, but we remain open to opportunities and conversations the remainder of the offseason, and that’s where we are.”