The Orioles are floating the idea of some infielders trying the outfield. How might it work?

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LAS VEGAS — Call it whatever you’d like.

“I guess you could call it a surplus. I guess you could call it depth,” Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said.

Whatever the choice of wording, the situation is rather obvious. Barring injury — a weighty caveat — the Orioles have plenty of infield options at their disposal. Just at third base alone, the list is long: Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander, Jordan Westburg, Christian Encarnacion-Strand. And while trading one of them, or someone else on the roster, could bolster other positions, there’s another possibility the Orioles are considering.

Elias said he’d “rather not get into the details of it right now,” but the Orioles have asked certain infielders to prepare for outfield repetitions during the winter and heading into spring training.

“It’s just a really strong infield group. I think we’re fine numbers-wise,” said Elias, who added that manager Craig Albernaz has been directing those conversations. “But it is something we’re talking to some guys about flexing out into the outfield so they could have more playing time.”

Elias declined to name the players Albernaz has reached out to, but it’s an interesting development — if it comes to pass. Mayo, for example, practiced last winter in the outfield in case he was needed there, but the Orioles never used him in that spot.

The idea of playing infielders in the outfield can send shivers down the spines of Orioles fans who remember the errors Jorge Mateo made in center field in 2025, for example. But there are examples of it working, particularly for players with high athleticism.

“The first part is just how good of an athlete he is, how easy is it for him making adjustments, how comfortable is he being uncomfortable,” said Jared Banner, Baltimore’s new general manager. “I think those are the main things for us.”

Banner has seen these sorts of transitions before — both successful and unsuccessful. The Orioles have seen it work and fail before, too. Ryan Mountcastle was tested as a left fielder before he settled at first base. Adam Jones was drafted by the Seattle Mariners as a shortstop before moving into the outfield in the minors, which allowed him to become a standout center fielder in Baltimore.

That isn’t to say the Orioles are permanently moving someone, but as they ponder a way to maximize playing time and balance a loaded infield, there are opportunities for certain players to fit in the outfield on a part-time basis.

“The key for us, we want to have a good defender on the field at every position, and any way that we can create that ability, we will definitely investigate,” Banner said. “But I’ve seen scenarios when a position change goes really smoothly. Other times, it doesn’t. Other times, it’s trial and error.”

Alexander has proven himself a capable outfielder when required. Could Westburg join him in that duty? Could Mayo find more at-bats by manning right field occasionally? Could second baseman Jackson Holliday find himself in center field?

That’s all possible. In some cases, it could even be beneficial. Holliday, for instance, struggles with an explosive first step, especially on grounders to his right. But his top speed and acceleration are overall strengths of his game, and an increase in opportunity time when chasing a fly ball could make him a better defender.

At this point of the offseason, these are the things one can ponder. The Orioles’ front office will consider hundreds of possibilities — signings, trades, positional changes — and only a handful, at most, will come through.

But in theory, as the Orioles consider playing time and their surplus of infielders, it makes sense to diversify their positionality.