O's Mike Elias talked about the club's needs during the GM meetings

The baseball offseason is about to really heat up. Some big name free agents like Juan Soto and agent Scott Boras will meet with teams this week to get the ball rolling.

There seemed to be a glacial pace of free agency last year and maybe it all moves faster this time around. The Winter Meetings are in early December.

The general manager meetings were last week in San Antonio which gave all teams a chance to begin to lay groundwork for the next few weeks and months in talking with other teams and with player agents.

During an interview on MLB Network, O’s executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias discussed the club’s top priorities this winter.

“Well, we’ve got a really strong core returning,” said Elias. “We’ve got a young nucleus that I’d stack up there with any in baseball and that’s a good place to start. I think we have a lot of good rotation pieces and bullpen guys coming back. But we definitely are looking to augment the roster and add to the team.

“We’ve got some guys that are potentially leaving in free agency. They are wonderful players, and we’d love to bring them back. But if we are unable to, then we’re going to be looking to kind of backfill their profiles.

“That’s going to be at least a starting pitcher, hopefully more than that. And we need some help in the outfield. Particularly, a lot of our at-bats from the right side of the plate are what we are prioritizing in the outfield.

“So those are the main conversations that we’re having and we’re listening and looking for opportunities. Those are our priorities right now as we kick off the offseason.”

Elias has said the club retains interest in free agents Anthony Santander and pitcher Corbin Burnes. The club did issue qualifying offers to both. Many outlets list Burnes as the No. 2 free agent and project he will get north of $200 million.

“We had a wonderful experience with him,” said Elias of Burnes. “He did a tremendous job for us, it was a really good fit all around. I think it was a trade that worked out well for both teams. We’re really regretful we were not able to capitalize on his presence with a longer postseason run.

“He was a great guy to have anchor your rotation. I’m sure there is going to be a lot of interest in him, but I think he knows what he has in Baltimore, the chances to win and the support system we provided. We’re definitely staying plugged in with him and his camp.”

It was interesting to hear Elias single out an outfielder from the Baltimore farm when he was asked who is part of the next group coming from the farm could that establish himself as an everyday big league player?

“We do have a strong farm system," he said. "I think one player I would like to highlight on the position player side is Enrique Bradfield Jr. We took him two years ago in the first round out of Vanderbilt. He’s one of the fastest players in the minors and one of the very best base stealers in the minors.

“He can really, really, go get it in the outfield. And he had a strong year offensively through High-A, into Double-A with us. With his defensive chops, with his baserunning value, he is only going to have to hit so much, and I think he’s doing that right now with what he has done this year in the minors. He is a really exciting young player for the sport and he’s moving his way up the ladder for us."

In 2024, over 81 games with High-A Aberdeen and 27 for Double-A Bowie, Bradfield, age 22, hit .272/.358/.371/.729 with 18 doubles, five triples, four homers and 35 RBIs. He stole 74-of-87 bases – the second-most in the minors this year.

Ranked as the club’s No. 4 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, Bradfield is No. 6 via Baseball America. He posted a .708 OPS at Aberdeen and .791 at Bowie, where he is likely to begin next season.

Elias was asked about the Orioles ability to trade prospects for pitching this winter. The club is less fortified in trade prospects, he acknowledged, after the Burnes deal before last season and after the 2024 trade deadline acquisitions.

“We don’t have anywhere near the depth we had this time last year. … We’re going to have be judicious about that and we’re a little more limited in what we can trade from our major league depth, but we still have a very strong farm system and enough to really explore any trade opportunities that are out there,” Elias told MLB Network.