The Orioles have already begun to make a splash in the off-season move pool by announcing the return of manager Dave Trembley next season. While many thought that Trembley was doomed due to another poor showing down the stretch of the 2009 season, Andy McPhail showed that he is not afraid to stay consistent while rebuilding this franchise from the ground up.

Some would argue that Trembley doesn’t deserve another shot at redemption. The O’s teetered on the edge of their first 100 loss

season since 1988, and we were witnesses to some of the worst pitching performances in Baltimore in years. But, it’s easy to forget that this team is very young and unpolished. Especially during the 2nd half of the season, there were young faces at several positions, including 80% of the starting rotation. It may be that Dave Trembley is not fit to manage a team with so much growth ahead of them, but it’s hardly fair to base his performance on the play of players that had been in the minor leagues when the regular season had started.

The Orioles did show signs of maturity, despite the overall perspective. They had the 3rd most wins by rookie starting pitching throughout all of Major League Baseball. While it is easy to say that those wins were the cause of such a huge amount of call-ups during the year, it doesn’t change the fact that the O’s play in the toughest division of baseball. With more games against Boston, New York, and Tampa Bay, the O’s face a mountain of a challenge day in and day out. Together, rookie pitching in Baltimore posted 25 wins over the course of the season, while facing some of the most unforgiving hitters in the game.

How Trembley handled the situations he was placed in was part of the reason that McPhail chose to bring him back for another season. He showed passion on the field, defending his players even if it meant he would face ejection and fines. His press conferences showed that he cared about the team and the direction it was headed. With several years of minor league management under his belt, Trembley has an idea of what it means for a player to be considered a big part of a major league team’s future. He gave his utmost support to the guys that have such heavy expectations riding on their shoulders.

With the contracts of Ramon Hernandez and Jay Gibbons finally expiring, the Orioles are going to have some money to spend. When posed with the question as to whether that money will get put to good use, McPhail claimed that he plans on using it on the free agent market this off-season. The problem is that the market is pretty pathetic looking. The biggest name available for interested teams is Jason Bay, and the Orioles definitely don’t need to add any more depth to an already cluttered OF position.

However, the O’s will be on the market for a middle of the lineup-type hitter. As of right now, the situation calls for somebody that can protect Nick Markakis in the three hole. McPhail knows that he will probably need to spend money to get that type of player. Depleted free agent markets usually lead to teams having to overspend for players that aren’t necessarily worth it. However, before the O’s can call up some of the young hitting that they still have in the minors, the role needs to be addressed.

If free agency doesn’t produce the outcome that McPhail and friends are looking for, trading for a power hitter is another viable option. Unfortunately, the O’s would have to give up some of their raw talent in order to acquire the type of player that they desperately need. But, with the money they have to spend, it is not out of the question to consider trading for a player that is owed a lot of money due to a large contract.

The Orioles will also need to find help with their starting rotation. Jeremy Guthrie saw a drop-off in his performance this season, finishing with a 10-17 record, and is hardly the epitome of an ace. Once again, however, free agency is bound to disappoint. The pitching that is available will not provide much better results then Guthrie has already displayed, and so there is not much point to throw money away. One option that has been passed around quite a bit is attempting to attract former Oriole, Erik Bedard, back to Baltimore. Some feel that his roots with the organization will make it more attractive to him. Personally, he is not going to generate much interest due to his injury history, and the O’s could get him for relatively cheap. As long as he can avoid the injury bug, Bedard is a solid pitcher with a good idea of what it takes to get outs.

Another obvious weak spot with the Orioles is their lackluster bullpen. When the team traded away George Sherrill, they got prospects in return. The lack of immediate help was hardly unnoticeable, and replacement closer, Jim Johnson, learned first hand what it takes to lose the confidence of your teammates. The departure of Danys Baez will not help the chances of improvement, as he seemed to be one of the more stable members of a bullpen that couldn’t seem to figure out how to avoid giving up runs. If the team can resign Mark Hendrickson, he will give the O’s some support out of the ‘pen. It has also been rumored that David Hernandez and Jason Berken will eventually be transformed into relievers because of the stockpile of starting rotation talent that is coming up through the system. Koji Uehara, the first Japanese player to see action in an Orioles’ uniform, could also be in the running as the 2010 closer. He was unable to find enough arm strength needed to be a starting pitcher in the majors, but McPhail is willing to experiment with Uehara instead of scrapping him altogether.

With the possible addition of players that will fill key roles for the team, the Orioles will also see their share of losses. The biggest is

the departure of Melvin Mora. The team announced that it will not pick up his 2010 option, and instead send Mora off to test free agency. The only way that we would see Mora back in Baltimore again next year is for him to agree to a one year deal worth much less than his option would have paid him.

It will be tough for the organization to replace a fan favorite like Melvin Mora. He has spent several years giving his all to the O’s franchise, and it’s never an easy feat to follow that up. So what will the team do to fill that third base spot that has been occupied by Mora’s familiar face? The best option might be to go about it via free agency. Again, that solution poses the problem of a shallow free agent class. However, there are a few reasonable options that McPhail could pursue. With Brandon Waring and Josh Bell, the 3rd baseman acquired in the trade for Sherrill, waiting in the wings, any expectations from them should not arise until closer to the end of next season. Until then, the Orioles need to find a reasonable solution.

Ty Wigginton offers another idea that the team may look into. Wigginton, who can play any position that is asked of him, may find himself seeing most of the starts at the hot corner if free agency doesn’t bring about any answers. Because Luke Scott got some playing time under his belt at 1st base last season, the flexibility to allow Wigginton to see the majority of his playing time at 3rd base will grow considerably.

With the outfield becoming such a deep position, it is only fitting that Felix Pie was able to turn his game around and perform well during the 2nd half of the 2009 season. He was considered a 4th outfielder for most of the season after losing his starting spot to Nolan Reimold, but was given another opportunity when Adam Jones went down with a season ending injury.  Now that Pie has changed his hitting mechanics, he seems to have found a new stroke and new life. While it’s great to see him living up the potential that was expected of him when he was drafted, it adds to the logjam in the O’s outfield.

Some have said that the O’s have Luke Scott on the trading block. While he may be valuable, it’s hard to imagine the Orioles could live without his power in the lineup. Already lacking any threatening home run hitter in the middle of the lineup, a loss of Scott would not offer any type of support to the young pitching staff that is bound to face more growing pains next season. For now, it seems to be in the team’s best interest to keep Pie as a 4th outfielder; He will see his playing time increase if the Orioles use Scott at first base more than last year.

All in all, this off season should provide an exciting, involved time for the Orioles. Andy McPhail seems to understand that he will need to play his hand in free agency in order to meet several of the team’s needs. The organization has the money to spend, and while that has not always meant much in the past, the perception of the franchise is changing in the eyes of players around the league. Slowly, people will begin to take the Orioles seriously, and it’s only a matter of time before the team is back in the thick of things.