BALTIMORE (AP) — A season filled with losses and farewells ended for the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday with an informal sendoff for five-time All-Star Adam Jones http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-george-bell-jersey , another veteran who seemingly has no place on a rebuilding team in the process of a major reboot.Although the endless string of defeats has mercifully ended, the goodbyes will likely extend into the offseason.“Now that the season is over,” Jones said, “the next chapter starts.”The 33-year-old was talking about his status as a pending free agent, but the sentiment applies to the Orioles.The status of manager Buck Showalter and executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette remains up in the air, and the rookie-filled roster that struggled through September is sure to change.Halfway into the worst season in Orioles history, Duquette began the overhaul by trading Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Jonathan Schoop, Kevin Gausman, Darren O’Day and Brad Brach for 15 minor league prospects and International signing bonus slot money.A team-record 15 players made their major league debut this season, and all that inexperience was one of many reasons why Baltimore finished 47-115, 61 games behind AL East champion Boston.There’s no telling when the rebuild will begin to yield victories.“You don’t put a timetable on it. You try to do it as fast as you can,” Showalter said. “But you’ve got to do it with your nose down, and grind each day. You might be surprised where you stand when those days are behind you.”Some things to know about the Orioles as they head into an important offseason:NEVER SAW IT COMINGPerhaps the most depressing aspect of the season is that the Orioles thought they would be contenders.The addition of starters Alex Cobb and Andrew Cashner, along with a power-laden lineup led by Machado and Schoop, led to unfulfilled optimism.Baltimore opened 5-14 and was 8-20 by the end of April.“We got on a losing roll and it kind of snowballed,” pitcher Dylan Bundy said. “Then May came and it wasn’t any better. Around the First of May I realized it wasn’t going to be the year we thought it was, the year we hoped for or the year we planned for in the spring.”DAVIS A DUDFirst baseman Chris Davis, like the Orioles, had a historically awful season.He batted .168, worst average by a qualifier in major league history, and struck out 192 times in 128 games.The former slugger is in the midst of a $161 contract that extends through 2022. That makes him tough to trade and leaves the Orioles little option but to hope he finds his stroke.PATIENCE REQUIREDThe Astros won the World Series last year after going through a similar rebuild. The key, says Astros manager A.J. Hinch, is that you can’t rush it.“Patience is always key,” Hinch said. “Finding great players is paramount, and continuing to form their plan, develop their plan and execute it.“I know what it feels like when it works Dave Winfield Jersey , and it’s worth it. But it can reach some tough moments while you’re trying to evaluate players, while you’re trying to rebuild it.”RAY OF HOPEOrioles catcher Caleb Joseph watched a bunch of rookies come up from the minors and was encouraged by their potential.“There’s some young talent in this clubhouse, and if you get everybody on the same page and start working towards our specific goal you can grow a nice little franchise here with the talent that we have,” Joseph said.Example: Rookie right-hander David Hess went 3-10, but in his final outing he pitched seven innings of three-hit ball against Houston.“I think the experience in itself goes a really long way,” Hess said. “You always hear coming up that you can’t really mimic the big leagues at any other level. That definitely proved true.” Mike Fiers has been nothing short of spectacular since the Oakland Athletics acquired him from the Detroit Tigers in a waiver deal Aug. 6.On Sunday, the veteran right-hander tries to put a stop to Oakland’s mini-skid when he goes against the Tampa Bay Rays in the finale of a three-game series at Tropicana Field.By losing Saturday night, the A’s dropped their second tight decision in the last three games, which qualifies as a slump for one of the hottest teams in baseball.Article continues below ...They lost to the Rays, another hot team, meaning the series is on the line Sunday. But there’s more — a LOT more — at stake than just the series in this finale.Saturday’s loss kept the A’s from getting back to within a half-game of the losing New York Yankees for home-field advantage in the wild-card game. It also dropped Oakland 3 1/2 games back of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West.In a game that featured the first matchup of “openers,” or relievers starting games worked by the bullpen, Oakland rallied for two runs in the seventh inning to pull into a 4-4 tie but then lost 7-5 – their fourth setback in six games against the Rays this season. Jake Bauers’ three-run homer was the winner.Diego Castillo will again be the “opener” for the Rays on Sunday — after Saturday’s game saw Tampa Bay improve to 27-19 when starting a reliever.The Rays, 19-5 in their last 24 games and 13-3 in their last 16 home games, kept their slight chances of catching the A’s for the second wild card as they are eight games out.Fiers is 5-0 with a 2.72 ERA, has 42 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings and has the opposition batting .208 against him in seven starts with the Athletics. He is 12-6 with a 3.29 ERA overall on the season, and comes in 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in four career starts against the Rays.He has a 7.31 ERA in three starts at the Trop and has not worked against Tampa Bay this season.The A’s went to the “opener” because of Trevor Cahill’s back issue and may have to use the new system again Tuesday or Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels.They rallied to tie and had the bases loaded with one out in the eighth inning before a strike-three call on Marcus Semien kept the score tied. The rally went nowhere and manager Bob Melvin was ejected by umpire Larry Vanover after the inning.“Obviously, I thought it was outside or I wouldn’t have been arguing like I did,” Melvin said. “It is what it is. … He’s trying to grind through that at-bat (nine pitches) and drive in a run, you get a call that’s not a strike and now you don’t have the advantage where we were.”Bauers snapped a 5-for-63 slump with three hits and four RBIs.Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash talked before the game about the use of the reliever in the first inning and said it has helped Castillo and Ryne Stanek.“I don’t think going into it we put the greatest emphasis on the actual opener,” he said. “I think we’ve learned as the season has kind of evolved that that’s just as important, and it’s helped those guys’ psyche when they get on the mound. And hopefully it helps their psyche when they get on the mound in the seventh, eighth and ninth inning. Ryne and Diego both, they’ve gotten big outs in different roles.”‘The San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday that the A’s will not be welcomed back in Nashville, with speculation on a move of their Triple-A club to Las Vegas, soon to also be the home of the Raiders. Las Vegas finished an agreement with the New York Mets this month.