Orioles manager Buck Showalter has begun the process of calling his coaches to inform them that he is still deliberating on the makeup of his 2011 staff.

As of late this afternoon, at least two of his coaches had heard from Showalter on Friday and were told that no official decision had been made. At least two others had not yet heard from their boss, who took over the Orioles on Aug. 2 and retained the six coaches that had served under interim manager Juan Samuel.

Showalter, who is in Dallas recovering from knee surgery, could not be reached for comment. He has said in the past that he was impressed by the stable of coaches he inherited and that the decision to fire any of them would be difficult.

On the last weekend of the season, Showalter met with each of his coaches and explained that he planned to have answers about their job security in the upcoming days. He also told the local media that he thought the issue would be resolved in days instead of weeks. Friday is believed to be the first day since the season ended that Showalter has called staff members, though he remains in nearly daily contact with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail.

The unusually high number of manager vacancies throughout baseball has likely stalled Showalter’s decisions. The biggest stumbling block could be the Toronto Blue Jays, who, according to the Toronto Sun, have interviewed 14 candidates on the phone and could talk to at least seven more.

Blue Jays third base coach Brian Butterfield, who was on Showalter’s staff with the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks, has already interviewed with the Jays, the Toronto Sun reported. Don Wakamatsu, the former Seattle Mariners manager who was Showalter’s bench coach with the Texas Rangers, is also expected to be interviewed for the Toronto job, the Toronto Sun reported.

Both Butterfield and Wakamatsu are presumed to be high on Showalter’s list of potential Orioles’ coaches, but their availability may not be determined until after the Blue Jays name a manager. Therefore, it’s possible the Orioles’ coaching situation may not be resolved until after the World Series, when typically most managerial hirings are announced.