The Orioles saw their 2025 season more or less end before it started due to a brutal 15-32 record in their first 47 games. That start to the season saw manager Brandon Hyde get fired in mid May, while third base coach Tony Mansolino took over as the club’s interim manager. The Pirates decided to stick with Don Kelly long-term after he took over for Derek Shelton earlier this year. The Angels opted against keeping Ray Montgomery in the manager’s chair after he took up the mantle due to Ron Washington’s illness.
Mansolino has neither been extended nor dismissed, and Mike Elias remains in place as the club’s president of baseball operations, leaving no uncertainty in the front office to delay the club’s decision. Instead, Mansolino remains in limbo. Mansolino is set to be a candidate for the manager job in Baltimore, but he’s far from guaranteed to remain in the role and a wide-ranging search is expected. That makes some sense. With a young core that was in the playoffs in both 2023 and ’24, the Orioles are still in the middle of their contention window even despite this year’s disastrous 87-loss campaign. A quick turnaround is not only possible, but perhaps even expected given their collection of young hitting talent.
That could attract plenty of interesting candidates to the role, and the allure of hiring a big-name manager is obvious. After all, the Reds’ decision to hire Terry Francona last offseason got them to the playoffs in a 162-game season for the first time since 2013. The Rangers’ decision to hire Bruce Bochy a few years ago got the franchise its first ever World Series championship that same year. Joe Maddon’s second year as manager in Chicago ended the club’s infamous World Series drought. For a franchise like Baltimore that last won the World Series in 1983 and is still in the early years since emerging from a lengthy rebuilding period, it would be understandable if those success stories held some appeal.
Mansolino managed Baltimore to a 60-59 record after taking over for Hyde in spite of one of the weakest rotations in baseball, an offense that suffered from injuries and under-performance, and a sell-off at the trade deadline that shipped out valuable pieces like Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn. The Orioles had a 35-30 record under Mansolino through the day of the trade deadline, a 94-win pace that would actually represent an improvement not only over this season, but also the club’s 2024 record if maintained over a full season.
Of course, evaluating managerial performance is difficult to do from the outside of an organization. In a sample of just 65 games, it’s easy for one hot streak to change the perception of the stretch. Even Mansolino’s 119 games on the job can be looked at with something of an asterisk. After all, most teams would look a great deal better if you simply ignored their worst 43-game stretch of the year.
How do MLBTR readers think the Elias and the Orioles should approach their managerial vacancy? Did Mansolino do enough in his time managing the team this year to earn a longer opportunity, or should the team pivot to a fresh voice? Have your say in the poll below:
Chris Davis should be the manager.
Just feels like a solid baseball name.
With game management being scripted by today’s analytics I say give the kid a chance. Especially with a team like Minnesota that is rebuilding with kids, why not let Toby Gardenhire have a shot? If front offices want to hire puppets, go cheap and let the young guns handle the scripts.
No. The role Mansolino had was to be glue. He was there to just hold down the fort, be a rah-rah and encouragement guy. Of course the players love him because that’s what he was there for. They are comfortable with him.
Next season and going forward, this is a completely different mindset. Last year was inexcusable, and the players need to know this. They need to know that their defensive lapses and terrible approach to atbats will not be tolerated. The goal here is to win, and anything less than that goal is not okay.
Tell O’Neill that he’s playing over 100 games this season, or the moment he needs to sit out a couple of weeks with a hangnail, he’s going on the 60 day IL and he’s going to stay there until he plays a full month in the minors to prove he is actually healthy and able to play more than a day in a row without missing three weeks with a mild case of “I don’t feel like playing today.”
You can’t tell a guy to not be hurt.
The Orioles signed this guy despite his career long track record of being injury prone. He’s played 8 seasons in the majors and in only 2 did he even manage 100 games played.
This is who he is.
Yeah, and you also don’t have to play him when he claims to be healthy for a day or two.
I thought they they should or if they don’t hire him…they should let go of Elias as well…he had 6 years to build a team and they did not!!!!
Or if that is harsh…so be it.
Alos….they should consider Mark Prior as manager…I think he would be excellent
Tony did a good job. But the o’s need a new voice and style than the previous coaching staff.
I feel like you keep Mansolino if you plan on taking a step back and resetting. If you have eyes on contending then you bring in a more proven option
It all depends on what Rubenstein does and he’s only been behind the wheel for a year.
@ Rsox
I tend to agree. Their contention window is right now. Given the youthful nature of the roster, it would make sense to have an experienced manager on hand to give firm direction for the club.
Look what Tito did in Cincinnati in his first year. He could do wonders with this roster. Shame for Baltimore that he’s currently employed.
I can’t see Elias tying his future to Mansolino. I would be Shocked if he was the manager in 2026.