Orioles news: Mike Elias on potential last minute additions, Felix Bautista update

On Friday afternoon, Mike Elias spoke with media members during the course of an Orioles Caravan event about his thoughts on the roster. And though we're just two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, it looks like Elias is still determined to make a couple last minute transactions before things get underway in Florida.

"We like where we're at, but we still have time on the clock before the offseason is over", Elias said. He did mention that he's confident in the group as currently constructed, though that's something you'd expect him to say. Elias did also mention that there are still a few interesting free agents available and that the trade market hasn't been quite as active as he'd expected.

That last part is true, to a point. But the Orioles did in fact complete a trade yesterday, albeit a smaller one. The O's acquired sure-handed infielder Luis Vasquez from the Cubs, sending cash considerations back to Chicago to complete the deal. Vasquez likely fills the role that Livan Soto has done over the past couple years, assuming he makes it through spring training and sticks on the 40-man roster past Opening Day.

Orioles GM Mike Elias suggests that Baltimore might not be done adding talent before the spring training gets underway

Of note, Elias also mentioned that the plan right now is that the O's will head into 2025 with a 5-man rotation. There has been some talk about potentially using a 6-man rotation with the depth of talent on the pitching staff, but they clearly want to leave room for that extra reliever. Right now, we're expecting that Dean Kremer and Albert Suarez will battle for the fifth and final rotation spot throughout the spring, with Kremer likely having the upper hand.

Depending on how healthy the group stays this year, there could be some interesting decisions to be made during the summer. Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells are expected back at some point later this year, which could complicate things if the pitching staff is running smoothly.

In addition to his comments about potential transactions, Elias also spoke about the availability of closer Felix Bautista. Elias told reporters that Bautista will likely have an abbreviated spring training schedule but as of now, the expectation is that Bautista will be ready to go for Opening Day.

Bautista has been throwing during the offseason, and videos of him have surfaced on Instagram and the like. The O's bullpen desperately needs him back to full health if they want to be competitive in 2025. The bullpen struggled mightily at times last year and a healthy Bautista will go a long way towards righting the ship in Baltimore.