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Orioles pitching coach Doug Brocail said Sunday that Givens remains in the mix to close, but Baltimore has yet to decide on a top option for the ninth inning, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Givens finished as the Orioles' save leader in 2019, but he netted only 11 of them for an 108-loss squad and supplemented that total with a 4.57 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 86:26 K:BB in 63 innings. Though Givens enters 2020 as the best of the established options in a weak Baltimore bullpen, his standing atop the depth chart is shaky after 2013 first-round pick Hunter Harvey showcased some dominant skills in a small late-season sample with Baltimore (11 strikeouts in 6.1 innings). Harvey looks like the better bet to be the long-term answer at the back of the bullpen, but it wouldn't be surprising if Givens opened 2020 as the team's preferred closer given his experience. Brocail also indicated that southpaw Richard Bleier could be in the mix for saves against lefty-heavy lineups, which would make it even more difficult to justify investing in either Givens or Harvey, especially with the Orioles expected to be one of MLB's weaker teams once again.

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