Giving Orioles the business now that season ended

The next step after waking up without baseball is to gauge your own interest in the playoffs - hard for me to root against the Padres with those familiar faces - and wonder what's next for the Orioles beyond the fall instructional league.

Will they be active at the Winter Meetings?

Will there be a Winter Meetings?

At least remotely, I'd assume. Hold onto that Zoom account.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is going to determine the interest in his trade chips, including starter Alex Cobb as the veteran right-hander moves toward the final year of his four-year, $57 million deal and increased his value in a truncated season.

Renato Núñez experienced another up-and-down campaign, ending it on a higher note Sunday with two hits and an RBI. A team that's seeking a power bat and occasional corner infielder might bite.

One way to ease a potential logjam and avoid a raise.

Does Elias deal with the outfield "surplus" by making a deal? Maybe he holds onto everyone in order to maintain depth, especially with the possibility of an actual minor league season played in 2021. He also needs to adhere to the baseball side of the Trey Mancini story, though secondary to the inspirational recovery from Stage 3 colon cancer, and determine whether the 2019 Most Valuable Oriole is ready for everyday duty.

If I'm manager Brandon Hyde, I'm trying to renegotiate my contract to include a bonus for each time that he's asked about Adley Rutschman's timetable.

How is he supposed to know without a crystal ball? He can't even be certain where Rutschman begins next season after the pandemic wiped out the plan to start 2019 at Single-A Frederick. And Rutschman's performance obviously is a factor.

I only mention him now because Elias has to decide who's keeping the area behind the plate warm until Rutschman is deemed ready - which probably won't happen on opening day, so settle down.

Elias could be in the market for another catcher to toss into the competition after this year's group batted a combined .222/.321/.362 with six home runs and 25 RBIs. (This doesn't include individual production at other positions or roles.)

Pedro Severino, regarded as the primary starter, was 5-for-17 with two home runs in July and slashed .313/.382/.463 in August and .159/.232/.206 with no home runs or RBIs in September. And he was a lot more throw than catch as a "catch and throw" guy, which could be attributed to learning a new staff, taking the usual beating that comes with the role, carrying his slump behind the plate or something else.

He was 8-for-18 with two doubles and two home runs against the Nationals, his former team. In a related story, he should always been in the lineup against the Nationals.

Chance Sisco's .364 on-base percentage in 121 plate appearances upgraded the group, but he posted a .214 average - if you care about such things - and a -0.3 dWAR. He didn't have a passed ball, placing him five behind Severino, but was 3-for-16 throwing out runners attempting to steal.

Sisco had a .377 OBP in 69 August plate appearances, but batted .175/.313/.200 over the final month.

Bryan Holaday served as a third catcher who was 5-for-31 in 33 plate appearances and valued more for his ability to play a few other positions - including emergency relief - and be a mentor.

Severino and Holaday are out of minor league options and Sisco has one remaining. Perhaps the Orioles are satisfied with the arrangement. But it has to be under discussion.

When I brought up to Hyde over the weekend how the Severino/Sisco stats don't look good on paper, he replied, "Three weeks ago they did."

"Three weeks ago they were 1.000 OPS players and they both just had a rough couple weeks," he said. "I think that they've both taken big strides this year. We've talked to Severino at length. I really believe in his talent. I think both guys still have a lot of improvement to make and that's part of being a young player, and it's part of being a young player as a catcher. It's not easy to do.

"I think they have taken strides this year, but there's more strides to take. And I think consistency is a hard thing to achieve in the big leagues and they've shown flashes of being everyday major league catchers, good ones, and now it's just about being consistent and understanding how to do that that, and it's way easier said than done."

Austin Wynns never made it past the taxi squad. With more space needed on the 40-man roster, he seems to be a prime candidate to be designated for assignment.

He shouldn't have much trouble landing a job.

The Orioles held onto him this summer because they needed the insurance in case of injury, putting him ahead of Taylor Davis, but the writing on the wall isn't hard to read.

Much further down the road, the Orioles hold the fifth pick in the 2021 draft according to multiple projections:

1. Pirates
2. Rangers
3. Tigers
4. Red Sox
5. Orioles
6. Diamondbacks
7. Royals
8. Rockies
9. Angels
10. Mets
11. Nationals
12. Mariners
13. Phillies
14. Giants
15. Brewers
16. Marlins
17. Reds
18. Cardinals
19. Blue Jays
20. Yankees
21. Cubs
22. White Sox
23. Indians
24. Braves
25. Athletics
26. Twins
27. Padres
28. Rays
29. Dodgers

The Astros are excluded as part of their punishment, a hot topic that really cooled after baseball shut down.

I haven't studied the prospects and way-too-early mocks, but Vanderbilt right-hander Kumar Rocker won't be on the board at No. 5. Teammate Jack Leiter, also a right-hander, also could be gone.

Miami catcher Adrian Del Castillo is viewed as a top five talent, but the Orioles might be set at the position.