Orioles eyeing playoffs without losing sight of plan

There may not be a truer indicator of the bizarre nature of the 2020 baseball season than talk of the Orioles being buyers at the Aug. 31 trade deadline.

A rebuilding club getting aggressive in search of that final piece of the playoff puzzle?

A rebuilding club dangling prospects for rentals?

The year isn't that weird.

The Orioles would be thrilled to make the playoffs, though also knowing it's a longer road to reach the World Series and the odds are going to be stacked against it. But they aren't ready to become mad shoppers.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias will find the right balance between keeping hope alive and sticking to the plan.

"I do let him worry about that," manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday. "I am focused on the 28 guys we have in our clubhouse, as well as what's going on at our secondary site. But really what's the main focus is winning games and winning as many series as we can."

The playoff chatter inside the clubhouse apparently has been minimal. Guys didn't concede that they'd be excluded, but they seem to be living by the clichéd one-day-at-a time motto.

"Of course going into the start of all this that is the bigger picture, but right now, no," third baseman Rio Ruiz said yesterday in his Zoom conference call.

"We've been playing some good ball and we've been playing some hard teams, some unreal lineups and some big arms, and we've just been getting the job done. Obviously, you look to continue that from here on out."

I could envision the Orioles making some under-the-radar moves later in the summer, similar to their waiver claim of pitcher Jorge López from the Royals. An upgrade in an area of need without giving up much or anything in return.

They won't go all-in and begin offering top prospects in exchange for a chance to roll the dice in October. To do so would be shredding the blueprint. Elias wasn't hired to create a quick fix.

Perhaps we'll see a deal similar to the one in 2012 that brought Jim Thome to Baltimore. The Orioles parted with minor league pitcher Kyle Simon and catcher Gabriel Lino. Nothing that shook the foundation of the farm system.

That part makes sense.

The difference, of course, is that the 2012 team was in "final puzzle piece" mode and willing to take on a rental. The 2020 Orioles aren't operating in the same manner.

What's Michael Morse doing these days?

Mychal Givens is a trade chip if the return is right. He's hasn't been untouchable for a few years.

A scout from outside the organization texted me a few days ago wondering about Givens' usage, how he isn't closing despite having the experience.

"If he's a trade chip," the scout wrote, "you want to maximize value."

The Orioles seem to be doing it. Givens hasn't allowed a run in six innings.

Givens hasn't been used in the ninth inning, where he posted a 6.69 ERA last year and surrendered nine home runs, compared to a 1.93 ERA in the eighth. He could get a save opportunity later, but he's thriving in high-leverage situations in the seventh and eighth.

Teams are going to notice. Elias could be fielding calls.

And then comes the decision whether to hold onto him or, if able, make a move with an eye still pointed toward the future.

A tricky balancing act that's performed without a safety net.