As Orioles general manager Mike Elias rolls up his sleeves for a week of discussions and negotiations at the annual MLB Winter Meetings beginning Monday in San Diego, there are several holes the club needs to fill to make Elias’ August proclamation of “liftoff from here” take flight.

To truly be competitive in 2023, the Orioles likely need to acquire another starting pitcher, a middle-order bat and, theoretically, a backup catcher and veteran reliever. On Saturday, they agreed to a one-year deal with 35-year-old right-hander Kyle Gibson, pending a physical, to fill one rotation spot. And they are actively pursuing others in the second tier of free agency to place atop the rotation.

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The Orioles are going to be in “add mode” likely through the end of the Winter Meetings and for the remainder of this offseason.

The most interesting thing to watch as Elias conducts business, however, is whether he subtracts from his current 26-man roster, and, specifically, from his relatively young and established outfield.

Technically, all three starters should be available via trade: 27-year-old left fielder Austin Hays, 28-year-old center fielder Cedric Mullins and 28-year-old right fielder Anthony Santander.

Hays, however, had an uneven season and the sense is the club would be selling low on him if they found a willing partner. The return just doesn’t seem like it would be enticing enough to give up on Hays’ enigmatic bat.

Conversely, teams would line up to obtain Mullins, who has three seasons of team control remaining before free agency. But he is crucial to Elias’ successful blueprint of outstanding defense up the middle and, frankly, the Orioles don’t have anyone on the active roster or in the minors who can duplicate Mullins’ overall skill set at this juncture.

That leaves Santander, who stayed healthy in 2022, played in a career-best 152 games, hit a career-high 33 homers and demonstrated more patience at the plate than ever before. He turned 28 in October, so he is still in his prime, and has two seasons remaining under team control, which includes an arbitration salary in 2023 that is projected to be a reasonable $7.5 million.

Fearing that previous injuries may derail his career or push him into a designated hitter role prematurely, Santander shopped for training centers last winter and chose one in South Florida run by former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

Santander’s new personal trainer focused workouts on improving agility and flexibility, and Santander was clearly more nimble last season than he had been in 2020 or 2021. He continued his elaborate stretching routine before every game, and he said he flew his trainer to Baltimore several times during the 2022 season to make sure he was properly following the program.

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Santander’s work ethic is undeniable, and he has emerged as a significant clubhouse presence, something that advanced last year as he studied veterans Rougned Odor, Robinson Chirinos and Jordan Lyles, all of whom are not expected back with the team in 2023.

“I’ve been able to learn plenty from them,” Santander said at the end of last season. “So, coming into next year, hopefully I’ll be able to be around the entire season as well and that’s something I hope to carry over into next season, too. To continue that great chemistry, to continue that camaraderie that we built this year. I think that’s really important for us to have, so that’s something that I will look forward to taking from them.”

Although catcher Adley Rutschman understandably has been anointed as the face of this franchise, Santander is probably the clubhouse’s most respected figure, along with the quieter Mullins. Santander is the longest-tenured Oriole since the trade of his buddy Trey Mancini in August. A Venezuelan who has been in the United States for a decade, Santander is fully bilingual and has an easy rapport with everyone in the clubhouse.

He also is a switch-hitter and led the Orioles last season with 33 home runs — the next closest was Ryan Mountcastle with 22 — in a lineup that needs a boost of power, not a subtraction of it.

So, given his pop, his leadership, his work ethic and his contractual control, Elias would be foolish to deal away Santander, right?

Right?

Well, maybe.

It all depends on what Elias can get back for Santander and perhaps a prospect sweetener. If that return is a high-ceiling starting pitcher with some big-league success and contractual control, Elias will have to seriously consider it. At the least.

The old Elias, who spent three-plus seasons in charge of a terrible, rebuilding Orioles team, would have traded Santander in a heartbeat if it meant receiving controllable talent. Back then, it was all about getting better — sentimentality and current roster construction be damned.

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But now it’s a little trickier. This new, lifting-off Elias is searching for another big-league starting pitcher to help the Orioles take the next step in the American League East and make the playoffs. And Santander is the Orioles’ best trade chip — he has legitimate market value and likely can be replaced in right field (at least easier than Mullins can in center).

Kyle Stowers has already made his big-league debut and Colton Cowser, the Orioles’ top pick in 2021, finished the season at Triple A. Both have minor-league experience in center, but likely project as corner outfielders. On Friday, the Orioles added 28-year-old, left-handed hitting outfielder Franchy Cordero on a minor-league deal and sent 25-year-old, right-handed hitting Daz Cameron to Triple A while also claiming left-handed-hitting first baseman Lewin Díaz, 26, off waivers.

All are depth moves, but they give the club potential options to juggle if Santander is dealt.

Yet none — including the top minor leaguers — would immediately replace Santander’s 33 homers, including 22 from the left side, in 2023.

So, if the Orioles are ready to win now, or close to now, why deal away a guy who provides something the club doesn’t necessarily have on the field and is great off it? Especially if Santander is just hitting his stride?

That’s the dilemma that faces Elias. And it is further clouded by an unknown: How much money Elias is allowed to spend by an unstable ownership that’s currently mired in legal battles. If that financial pool is limited, then a significant trade to acquire those commodities becomes more essential.

Elias also has to determine whether Santander’s healthy 2022 was a result of altering workouts or if it was an outlier. Because we know a healthy Santander can be a dominating one.

There’s also the question of timing. Santander is more attractive to teams with two years remaining of club control than he’d be with one-and-a-half this summer or one next winter.

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When Elias faced similar equations in the past, he didn’t worry about ideal timing, instead pulling the trigger whenever he thought the return value was sufficient. He’s not one to gamble on potential peak value for one more click upward. If it has worked for him, he’s made the deal. Those instances, though, were when he was sending away a big leaguer for prospects. Not when he’s been a step away from the playoffs.

There’s a possibility that, in the right package, Elias could trade Santander for a pitcher and simultaneously acquire a power bat if he’s willing to take on a bloated contract.

The Miami Marlins and their stable of young controllable pitchers — including Pablo López, Jesús Luzardo, Trevor Rogers, Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett — is tantalizing to any team looking for rotation help.

Baltimore and Miami have been trade partners in the recent past under Elias and Kim Ng, and the Orioles could send the Marlins much-needed offense in the form of Santander, Mullins or a host of young hitting prospects. Mullins would be the best fit for the Marlins, who are searching for a center fielder, but, again, the Orioles may not want to create a void in center.

If the Orioles are willing to pick up the hefty contract of one of Miami’s declining veteran corner outfielder/DH types (Avisaíl García and his three years, guaranteed $41 million remaining; Jorge Soler and his guaranteed two years and $24 million), Santander presumably would become a more enticing fit for Miami, considering his contractual control. And that concept — inheriting another’s contract issue — could work with other clubs, too.

For his part, Santander isn’t concerned. He’ll be playing somewhere next year and playing hard, though he said his first choice is staying in Baltimore.

“You know me, I’m a relaxed person. I do what I can control. I come to the park and try to help the team win games. Whatever happens after that, I cannot control,” Santander said in October. “(A trade) is the front office’s job. If it’s coming, I’ll take it. If not, I’ll continue playing for the Orioles.”

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There are options here. Choices to make. Tough ones. It comes down to this: Does Elias use his most powerful bat to get a rotation upgrade while weakening an offense that disappointed in 2022?

That may depend on what else Elias adds, but what to do with Santander could be the Orioles’ biggest question — or dilemma — as the winter plays out.

(Top photo: Tommy Gilligan / USA Today)