As the Orioles take stock of their team, the front office has to be pleased with the idea of tweaking, rather than overhauling. There are always going to be areas of possible improvement, but looking around the lineup, how many spots should the Orioles be concerned about?

Will Brian Roberts come back to play second base, and, if not, are the Orioles comfortable with the Robert Andino-Ryan Flaherty-Omar Quintanilla combo platter? Does Nate McLouth re-sign to play left field? Do young arms fill out the rotation so that the Orioles don’t spend another season operating a Norfolk-to-Baltimore shuttle?

The Orioles could look to this year’s free-agent class, but Orioles vice president Dan Duquette told The Sun on Saturday: “I’ve said all along the way to build a good ballclub is from the ground up. It’s not from the top down. Having said that, we signed a couple free agents last year that did a good job. …

“But I’m going to tell you this: The core players are going to come from our minor-league system.”

Baseball pundits are calling this off-season’s free-agent class a weak one. So, though the Orioles’ success makes them a more attractive location for free agents, the options, from Baltimore’s standpoint, are more limited. There isn’t a single second baseman listed among Hardball Talk’s top 50 free agents. Outfielders? Sure, but Josh Hamilton, whose big talent comes with big baggage? A large investment in either B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn?

With Dylan Bundy on the horizon to join the rotation, you wouldn’t think the Orioles want to join a big-buck auction for Zack Greinke, who may be targeted by the Rangers. Edwin Jackson? He’s indicated he wants to return to the Nationals and could be too pricey.

Regardless of what significant moves, if any, the Orioles make in the off-season, they have built up a large account of goodwill with their fans. So if they come back from the winter meetings empty-handed, for the first time in a long time, the fans won’t be scorching them on the talk shows and message boards.