Orioles outfield options: Expanding and getting complicated

Maybe this is all Adam Jones' doing. The Orioles' additions the last three days of outfielders Craig Gentry and Michael Bourn give the team a definite chance to become more athletic and better on defense in the corner outfield spots.

Both players were added on minor league deals, so they will have to make the roster. If one or both do that, it will have some significant ramifications for other players going forward.

The additions of Gentry and/or Bourn could make it more difficult for Trey Mancini to make the opening day roster. The same could be said for the Rule 5 picks, outfielders Anthony Santander and Auneury Tavárez. It might complicate things for Joey Rickard and it could make Mark Trumbo a full-time DH that almost never sees time in the outfield. Over the longer haul, it could threaten the 40-man roster spots of Dariel Álvarez and/or Christian Walker.

If Trumbo is counted as an outfielder on the roster, the O's likely have four with guaranteed opening day roster spots barring injury in Trumbo, Jones, Hyun Soo Kim and Seth Smith. After that, the battle is on. Do the Orioles keep five outfielders? Maybe six?

If they keep 12 pitchers over the bulk of the season (even if they start with less) and two catchers, they could keep five infielders (the four starters and Ryan Flaherty) and six outfielders.

That would leave Rickard, Gentry, Bourn, Santander, Tavarez, Alvarez and Walker battling for two spots. That doesn't even include other non-roster outfielders like Chris Dickerson, Logan Schafer and David Washington.

The Orioles certainly have a few interesting outfield platoon possibilities. A look at some Orioles outfielders' batting versus right-handed pitching:

* Smith hits .272/.355/.472
* Kim hits .321/.393/.446
* Bourn hits .270/.337/.336

O's outfielders versus left-handed pitching:

* Gentry hits .268/.350/.357
* Rickard hits .313/.367/.494

Those are career numbers that include, of course, just one season for Kim and Rickard. But the numbers look solid with three of those five posting OPS numbers of .800 or better and four of the five posting OBPs of .350 or better.

Among the options where the Orioles could mix and match would include a Bourn platoon with Gentry or Rickard at the leadoff spot. That would provide the club both some speed and defense and a leadoff batter. Again, a lot of possibilities here.

Nothing is set now before even one spring training game is played. But with Jones heading to the WBC, there will be plenty outfield at-bats around to look at all of these players. No one is saying Mancini or Rickard will be optioned to Triple-A, but they could be. That only means they would not be on the roster for the opener, but they could come up and join the roster at any time. These possibilities could even potentially include Smith losing playing time to someone else and they could include one or both of Gentry and Bourn not even making the team. There could be an injury or several injuries to further shake things up.

Remember when it looked like the Orioles' 25-man roster was mostly set? Not so much anymore, especially in the outfield.