BALTIMORE -- The landscape of the Orioles’ front office is changing -- and it began before the start of the 2025 season.
According to a source, Baltimore promoted executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias to president of baseball operations this past winter. The club did not announce the move, which happened quietly before the season.
Before the Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the Pirates at Camden Yards on Thursday with a 3-2 win, The Athletic has now reported the O’s are planning to hire a general manager to work under Elias during the upcoming offseason.
The Orioles are exploring all options of how to fill out their front-office staff after the season, per a source.
Elias, 42, had been Baltimore’s EVP/GM since November 2018, when he was hired to undertake a significant rebuild for the organization. A month later, he hired manager Brandon Hyde, who served as the club’s skipper until this May, when he was dismissed following the O’s disappointing 15-28 start to the ‘25 campaign.
Despite this year’s unexpected results, the Orioles have experienced a massive turnaround under Elias, who led the team to consecutive postseason appearances in 2023 and ‘24. The O’s went 101-61 and won the American League East in ‘23, then secured an AL Wild Card berth with a 91-71 record in ‘24.
The Orioles (69-77) are unlikely to return to the postseason this year. Their season has largely been marred by injuries, as they’ve had 28 players spend time on the injured list this year.
When Elias arrived in Baltimore, it marked his first stint as an MLB general manager. He previously worked in the Astros’ front office from 2012-18, serving as assistant GM from August 2016 until the end of his tenure in Houston.
It is not yet clear how the rest of the Orioles’ front office could change in the months to come.
However, Baltimore hired Danny Haas last week to serve as a special assistant to the GM, according to a source. Haas was previously Washington’s vice president of amateur scouting and worked in the O’s front office from 2012-18, serving in various roles, including national crosschecker and special assistant to the executive vice president of baseball operations.
The Orioles also showed interest in White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield for a front-office role, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, but Barfield plans to stay in Chicago.
There’s plenty more work to do this winter for the O’s, who will also be looking for a new manager. Tony Mansolino has served in the role in an interim capacity since May 17, when he moved into the job from third-base coach following Hyde’s dismissal.
Baltimore shouldn’t have trouble finding interested candidates during its GM and manager searches. Although the club has underperformed this season, a strong core remains in place, centered around shortstop Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman, second baseman Jackson Holliday, infielder Jordan Westburg, outfielder Colton Cowser, catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo and more.
Basallo (the Orioles’ No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 overall) became the first member of that group to ink a long-term deal with the franchise, as the 21-year-old signed the first multi-year extension of the Elias era -- an eight-year pact worth $67 million agreed upon on Aug. 22.
Since private equity billionaire David Rubenstein’s group purchased the team in January 2024, Elias has stated on multiple occasions that he has support from ownership to expand payroll. So Baltimore could be in the market for marquee free agents as it looks to fill its holes this winter (frontline starting pitching, bullpen additions, center field).
But before the O’s sign players and make trades when free agency begins in November, they’ll need to solidify their leadership structure by deciding who is best in what role to help the club get turned around for the 2026 season.