Important offseasons for Ortiz, Harvey and Hays

The Winter Meetings in Las Vegas get underway in less than two weeks, which will give the local media a chance to begin forging a relationship with new executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias.

You can really get to know a person when congregating daily inside his suite and engaging in formal and casual conversations. Learn more about his tactics to construct a roster and his personality.

The Orioles also could have a new manager, which is a top priority as we move closer to December. More opportunities to bond.

The four official days of the meetings, which conclude on Dec. 13 after the Rule 5 draft, are one of the most important periods of the offseason. The Orioles could plug holes via free agency and trades, or at least lay the groundwork for future negotiations. But there are plenty of other activities happening away from the public eye and outside of Las Vegas that could impact the 2019 season.

Here are a few examples:

* Luis Ortiz is out of shape and vowed in September to make conditioning his No. 1 priority over the winter.

"I think that's the biggest key for me this year," Ortiz said the day before making his first major league start. "The thing has always been my weight, so a big key for me going into this offseason, and the way I look at it, and a couple of the strength coaches and everybody here, is going to be my weight, and to go after it. Cut some weight and come back healthier.

"They haven't made out a plan for me yet, but when we get toward the end of the season, I'm pretty sure we're going to sit down again and then go over the whole plan, what they've got for me."

The Orioles aren't the first team to notice that Ortiz was carrying too much weight - at least 20 pounds beyond his listed 230. Let's not pretend or fool ourselves into thinking that the Rangers and Brewers let it slide. But he sounded like a guy finally buying into an improved lifestyle.

"No target weight in mind," he said in September. "Right now, just eating right and smarter than I'm eating right now. I felt like I was always going to be a big guy, but I think at this weight it's a little too much. I think I let it get out of hand and to a point where I'm not comfortable with myself. A big key for me is just shedding some of this weight will be perfect for me going into next year."

Ortiz pitched the following night, his second appearance with the Orioles following the Jonathan Schoop trade, and lasted only 1 2/3 innings before limping off the field with an injury to his left hamstring. The Orioles had to shut him down.

Only 23 and one of the most promising acquisitions among the 15 players coming to the Orioles at the non-waiver deadline, Ortiz has to slim down and rid himself of the hamstring issues that also cropped up in the past. Live up to his status as the 30th overall pick in the 2014 draft.

* Hunter Harvey is supposed to resume a throwing program next month after his latest setback forced the Orioles to shut him down again on Sept. 18 and keep him out of the Arizona Fall League.

An MRI on Harvey's right elbow didn't reveal any structural damage, but the tendinitis while throwing on flat ground set off more alarms.

Harvey hasn't pitched above Double-A Bowie, where he made only nine starts this summer and posted a 5.57 ERA and 1.392 WHIP in 32 1/3 innings. He had stiffness in his forearm and elbow, and an injury termed "posterior shoulder instability" that he sustained while dodging a line drive into the Baysox dugout.

Getting past Tommy John surgery hasn't cleared the way for Harvey to make his major league debut.

The Orioles are wearing out the reset button, but Harvey is only 23 and the Orioles are determined to keep him healthy, allow him to reach his vast potential and hopefully slot him at or near the top of their rotation.

One important aspect of the rebuild, in keeping with past organizational philosophies, is the ability to grow the arms. The Orioles aren't spending big and they aren't going to shell out top dollars for pitching.

They need Harvey to be full-go in spring training, make it through camp without arm trouble and blow through Eastern League lineups. They need him to be a viable option if a spot opens in the rotation. And they need him to stay there.

The process begins again on flat ground in Sarasota.

* The Orioles have no idea who's going to play right field on opening day. They closed the 2018 season with Adam Jones, who won't return. They may expand the search to the free agent or trade market.

The ideal setup would involve Austin Hays, the organization's Minor League Player of the Year in 2017 who was slowed by injuries in the spring and summer and didn't make it back to the majors.

Hays underwent surgery in September to repair a fracture and cartilage defects in his left ankle. He began a running program in late October and is expected to be ready for spring training.

Limited to 66 games with Bowie, Hays batted .242/.271/.432 with 12 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 43 RBIs. The Orioles could return him to the Baysox in April or bump him up to Triple-A Norfolk. He could rake in Grapefruit League games and force them to break camp with him. He's made the jump before.

Nothing good can happen until the ankle is fully healed. And Hays must avoid wearing a platoon label and become more productive against right-handers, who have stuck him with slash lines of .289/.317/.540 in 2017 and .221/.247/.419 this summer with Bowie.

The breaking ball has been a troublesome pitch for him.