There was a lot that went wrong this season for the Orioles.

A team that entered the season with playoff aspirations instead found itself out of the picture by the end of the first half. The Orioles, who finished 75-87 and in last place in the American League East, now begin a crucial offseason. They need to find a manager or promote interim manager Tony Mansolino, who took over after Brandon Hyde was fired in May. They also have roster holes to fill and might be hiring a general manager under Mike Elias, who was quietly promoted to president of baseball operations prior to the season.

There’s also a lot to reflect on, both on what happened last season and what needs to occur this winter to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The Baltimore Banner surveyed four players to get their opinions on the current state of the Orioles, granting them anonymity so they can speak openly.

Here’s what they had to say:

Question: What was the biggest reason the Orioles missed the playoffs this year?

Player 1: Throughout the season, there was inconsistency on both ends with the position players and the pitchers. There were days when pitching was good but on the same day hitters weren’t hitting, and vice versa, when the hitters are hitting, the pitching was not that great. So I think that’s part of the bigger story.

Player 2: I think injuries had a lot to do with it, just couldn’t keep everybody on the field at the same time.

Player 3: I think just probably the slow start coming out of the gate. I think it’s very true that you can’t win the division in March and April, but you can lose it. Being 19-35 or whatever it was, it’s really hard to come out of, and I think at a certain point, in the second half, we played really good baseball. I think we have just over a .500 record, so if you can turn the start around, playing .500 in the front half, that changes everything. So I think it’s really important to get out of the gate, like a really good start to the season. It’s not like a talent problem, I think we just had a slow start to the year and things just didn’t go our way unfortunately.

Player 4: [Declined to answer.]

What major area do you think needs to be addressed by the front office this winter?

Player 1: I think we need a veteran presence.

Player 2: I don’t know, it’s hard to kind of single one out when you’re missing a lot of key pieces like we were, when you’ve got a lot of holes to fill that’s hard to do. It takes a lot of depth, I think you saw that this year with the [most players used in a single season] record being broken. I think that alone tells us that we just got to all stay healthy and I think good things could have happened, or a lot better things I guess.

Player 3: I think the bullpen is probably going to be a really big part of it. We got rid of a lot of veteran guys that had that experience in the back end, and the guys we’ve called up have done a really good job, but you just can’t replace experience. So I think that’s going to be huge for us, going into next year having guys that can come in and close games.

Player 4: I’d just say depth all-around, hitting depth, pitching depth, being really deep, versatile team that can just not hit homers but hit for average. I think a lot of good teams have that kind of factor, when they can put the ball into play and get hits, not just rely on the homer, one guy to come through. You want a bunch of guys that can do that.

Should interim manager Tony Mansolino be named the manager for next year?

Player 1: It’s a tough question to answer because number one, I didn’t really have a tight connection with Manso. But on the flip side, I think a lot of the younger guys tend to look up to him. But all in all, I think results say a lot.

Player 2: I think he deserves a shot, for sure. I don’t know exactly what the record is since he’s taken over, but I think he at least deserves a crack at it.

Player 3: I would love to have him back next year. He’s great — great being around the guys. He keeps it light, keeps it loose but he expects us to play the right way and he keeps a tight ship. So I would love having him back.

Player 4: [Declined to answer.]

Does the team needs an outside veteran leader added?

Player 1: Throughout the season, when we were on a bad stretch, there wasn’t a veteran presence who would kind of like step up and voice their concerns or kind of lead the way. I think veteran presence brings in experience and that says a lot to the team.

Player 2: I don’t think it needs it, but it never usually hurts to go add some veteran guys that have been around. I mean, I’m sure we’re going to do some type of adding this offseason, just a matter of where. But yeah, it usually never hurts.

Player 3: I think yes and no. I think there’s a lot of talented guys here that can take that next step in their careers and be that veteran leadership that they had when they were coming up. Of course, if we add some additional pieces that are veteran guys, that’s only icing on the cake. I think we have the tools in here as far as players to take that next step.

Player 4: I think every really good, deep contending team has those veterans that can come in and kind of be the leader. The last few years we’ve had that a little bit with [James] McCann, who came in, didn’t play every day but definitely was a veteran in here and made his voice heard and was a leader. I think anytime you can add a veteran who can lead and also be a good player, it’s always great.