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Offseason Outlook: Baltimore Orioles

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The Orioles came into 2025 as contenders but their season fell apart quickly. They have the pieces to bounce back in 2026 but what remains to be seen is how aggressive they will be in making offseason upgrades.

Guaranteed Contracts

Option Decisions

2026 guarantees (assuming the Enns option is picked up): $20.5MM
Total future commitments: $103MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Non-tender candidates: Mountcastle, Akin, Carlson, Castillo, Cano, Jackson

Free Agents

As seen up top, the O's have almost no long-term commitments. They have a large arbitration class but none of the projections are particularly onerous. Even with those arb players, RosterResource projects the club for a paltry $69MM payroll next year, almost $100MM below what they spent in 2025. A few non-tenders should give them even more breathing room.

All that potential payroll capacity doesn't guarantee of aggressive moves, however. They also had lots of dry powder last winter and still kept things fairly modest. The only multi-year pact was a three-year deal for Tyler O'Neill with an opt-out after the first season. Otherwise, it was one-year deals for veteran players like Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano, Andrew Kittredge, Gary Sánchez and Ramón Laureano.

The starting pitching investments were particularly underwhelming. The O's clearly needed more in the rotation. Since it was the first offseason under new owner David Rubenstein, some fans believed a new level of spending was possible. In November, then-general manager Mike Elias set the expectations fairly high. "You’re certainly wanting to keep the whole menu of player acquisition open," he said. "That involves high-end free agent deals over many years. We’ve been engaged in those conversations already.”

But the O's ended up with a 41-year-old Morton and a 35-year-old Sugano. The rotation ended up being a source of frustration for the O's all year. A spring injury to Grayson Rodriguez quickly cut into the depth and led the O's to a mid-March signing of Kyle Gibson. In April, Zach Eflin hit the injured list and Morton struggled enough to get bumped to the bullpen. Gibson came up to try to patch the holes but he was torched in four starts and released in May. Plenty of other guys struggled to put good numbers together as well.

The season quickly slipped away. They were 12-18 at the end of April and then went 9-18 in May. They were better the rest of the way but it was too late to get the season back on track. They went into the deadline as sellers and were aggressive in trading away veterans for prospects.

Going into 2026, the rotation again needs some work, though there have been some positive developments. Trevor Rogers took a while to get on track in 2025, starting the season on the IL with a knee injury, but had an amazing finish. He posted a 1.81 earned run average over 18 starts. It's not realistic to expect him to stay that good over a longer sample but the numbers under the hood are promising. Kyle Bradish got back on the mound after his 2024 Tommy John surgery. He only made six starts in the majors but also made six more as part of his rehab.

Rogers and Bradish make for a strong one-two punch atop the rotation. Rodriguez would be another front-of-rotation option but he missed the entire season due to elbow and shoulder issues. He's expected to be ready for spring training but the O's will probably have to be mindful of his workload for a while. Guys like Dean Kremer, Cade Povich and Tyler Wells can fill in the back but adding another front-end guy makes sense, something Elias has admitted. Will the poor 2025 season prompt a bolder strike this offseason?

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Orioles Interested In Scott Servais For Managerial Vacancy

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Scott Servais is the latest name to surface in the Orioles’ search for a new manager.  The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the O’s have interest in the former Mariners skipper, but it isn’t known if Servais has been formally interviewed by the team.

Reports also emerged yesterday that the Twins were considering Servais for their own managerial opening.  Minnesota and Baltimore are two of a whopping eight teams that don’t have managers in place for 2026, so it is certainly possible that Servais might also be a candidate with one of those other six clubs (though that number could narrow if the Giants finalize things with front-runner Tony Vitello.)

Interim Orioles manager Tony Mansolino, former Mets manager Luis Rojas, and future Hall-of-Famer Albert Pujols are the names publicly known to be on Baltimore’s list of candidates.  Cubs bench coach and former Orioles player Ryan Flaherty has also been mentioned in a more speculative fashion.  With Servais now included, it makes for an interesting mix of three candidates with past experience running a big league dugout, an experienced coach in Flaherty who has had “future manager” buzz surrounding him for a while, plus an all-time superstar player in Pujols who has never managed or coached in the majors or minors.

Servais is far and away the most seasoned candidate of the group, as he managed the Mariners for parts of nine seasons from 2016-2024.  Seattle posted winning records in five of Servais’ eight full seasons, and he has a winning record (680-642) as a big league skipper.  Only the 2022 Mariners squad reached the playoffs under Servais’ leadership, however, and the M’s fired Servais in August 2024 when the team was sitting at an even 64-64 record.  The Mariners have since gone 111-85 under new manager Dan Wilson, including an AL West title this season and a playoff run that lasted until Game 7 of the ALCS.

Orioles Looking For Impact Hitter

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The Orioles are looking for an impact hitter, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Kubatko adds that the outfield is likeliest area for Baltimore to add since they are fairly set behind the plate and in the infield.

The O’s just finished up a disappointing 2025 season. After making the playoffs in the prior two campaigns, they fell to the basement of the American League East this year, finishing 75-87. Their lack of rotation depth was a big part of that but the lineup also wasn’t great. The team hit a collective .235/.305/.394. The resultant 96 wRC+ was better than just nine clubs in the majors.

As mentioned, the outfield is probably the best spot to add some thump. Cedric Mullins, Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn were all traded at the deadline. They will likely turn down their $5.5MM club option on Jorge Mateo. That leaves the O’s with an outfield mix consisting of Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, Heston Kjerstad, Dylan Beavers and Jeremiah Jackson.

Cowser took over the center field job after the Mullins trade. His glovework there was passable but his offense declined relative to the prior year. He had hit .242/.321/.447 for a 119 wRC+ in 2024 but finished 2025 with a .196/.269/.385 line and 83 wRC+. He missed April and May due to a thumb fracture and then suffered some broken ribs in June, which he played through. It’s possible a return to health is all he needs to rebound but he’s a question mark at the moment.

O’Neill also had an injury-marred season, which is fairly normal for him. He only played 54 games and only has one career season of more than 113 games. He can opt out of the two years and $33MM left on his deal but has little incentive to do so after hitting .199/.292/.392 in 2025. Perhaps he will be rotated through the designated hitter spot more often next year to limit wear and tear.

Carlson got into 83 games but only hit .203/.278/.336. Kjerstad is trying to find answers related to some unreported medical condition. Beavers and Jackson both put up good numbers down the stretch but both still have fewer than 50 big league games played.

Kubatko suggests that an outside acquisition should be able to play center, given the uncertainty with Cowser. It’s possible that Enrique Bradfield will take over the job in the long run but Kubatko mentions he’s had some hamstring issues, a concern since speed is such a big part of his game. He also has just 15 Triple-A games under his belt and probably needs more time there.

The center field free agent market doesn’t feature a ton of guys who could be classified as impact bats. Cody Bellinger is coming off a good year but he may be a product of the short porch at Yankee Stadium. Regardless, he’s probably trending towards a nine-figure deal and it’s hard to expect the O’s to be the one to offer it. Trent Grisham is coming off a fantastic season but his previous campaigns were rough, making it fair to wonder if it was a flash in the pan.

The options thin out after that. Harrison Bader had some good numbers this year but mostly from a high batting average on balls in play. Re-signing Mullins is an option but he was dreadful this year. Luis Robert Jr. should be available on the trade market but he hasn’t been both healthy and good in a few years. Jarren Duran has come up in plenty of trade rumors but the Sox haven’t dealt him and they probably wouldn’t pull the trigger with a division rival. Perhaps Alek Thomas or Brenton Doyle could be available but they’re both coming off poor offensive seasons.

Perhaps first base would be another area the O’s could add, depending on their plans for guys currently on the roster. Adley Rutschman is going to continue as the primary catcher. That could leave Samuel Basallo spending significant time as the DH or at first base. If Basallo is going to factor in at the cold corner, that could impact guys like Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle. Mayo didn’t have a great year but at least finished strong, with a .223/.316/.424 line and 109 wRC+ in the second half. Mountcastle looks like a non-tender candidate since he had a poor season and is projected for a $7.8MM salary.

Even without Mountcastle, it might be tight finding at-bats. Rutschman, Basallo and Mayo could co-exist in three spots with one at catcher, one at first base and the other DHing, though that doesn’t leave a ton of room for O’Neill and other players to rotate through the DH spot. If the O’s feel that Mayo and/or Basallo need more time in the minors, then perhaps going after a first baseman is more feasible. There are more impact bats there, with the market featuring Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor, O’Hearn, Rhys Hoskins, Luis Arráez and others. Old friend Lewin Díaz hit 50 homers in Korea this year. The trade market could feature bats like Christian Walker, Triston Casas and Jake Burger.

In terms of payroll, the O’s could technically do all sorts of things. They have almost no future commitments on the books. RosterResource says they had a $160MM payroll in 2025 but are slated for just $69MM next year. However, they haven’t been very aggressive in free agency lately. O’Neill’s deal is the only multi-year pact the O’s have given a free agent since Mike Elias began running the front office seven years ago.

Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images

Albert Pujols Expected To Interview For Orioles’ Managerial Opening

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The Angels aren’t the only team vying for Albert Pujols’ managerial services. Alden Gonzalez and Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Orioles are expected to interview Pujols for their opening. Baltimore fired Brandon Hyde in May of this past season. Tony Mansolino took over on an interim basis, and he remains in the mix for the full-time gig.

The ESPN story comes less than a week after reports of Pujols closing in on the Los Angeles job. The Hall of Fame first baseman was regarded as the frontrunner for the position at the beginning of October, and follow-up stories have supported that notion, though there’s been no report of an official offer from the Angels. Gonzalez and Passan noted that Los Angeles is still the most likely landing spot for Pujols.

Baltimore dismissed Hyde after a 15-28 start. The team entered the season with plenty of fanfare after two consecutive postseason appearances, but fell well short of expectations. The Orioles did improve to 60-59 under Mansolino. Hyde had elevated the team from the basement of the American League to a contender in the challenging NL East. He earned AL Manager of the Year honors in 2023 after bringing home the club’s first division title since 2014.

Despite the poor 2025 campaign, there’s a lot to like about the Orioles’ outlook. The team is loaded with proven young talent, including Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Adley Rutschman, and Jordan Westburg. Fellow youngsters Colton Cowser, Samuel Basallo, and Coby Mayo have shown flashes in limited action. The pitching staff is a question mark, but Trevor Rogers broke out as an ace, and Kyle Bradish has shown considerable upside when healthy. The team should also have the flexibility to add in free agency. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool estimates Baltimore’s payroll to be around $81MM for next season. That’s about half the amount they spent in 2025.

In addition to the enticing roster, a couple of St. Louis connections could make Baltimore a desirable landing spot for Pujols. As Gonzalez and Passan point out, Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias was a scout for the Cardinals during Pujols’ playing days. Pujols is still close to Cardinals teammate Matt Holliday, the father of Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday.

If Pujols does land a job with an MLB team, it’ll be his first in affiliated ball. He managed Leones del Escogido, a Dominican winter ball team, last offseason. Pujols has been tabbed to lead the Dominican Republic national team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, though that would likely change if he earns a major-league position.

Orioles Interview Luis Rojas In Managerial Search

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The Orioles have interviewed Yankees third base coach and former Mets manager Luis Rojas amidst their ongoing managerial search, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.  Rojas is the first candidate known to have formally interviewed for the position.  Baltimore interim skipper Tony Mansolino also remains in the running, while Jon Heyman of The New York Post suggested that former O’s infielder and current Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty could be in the mix.

Rojas, 44, has served as the Yankees’ third base coach for the last four seasons.  Beginning his coaching career with the Nationals’ Dominican League team in 2006, he joined the Mets organization the following year and began a long stint as a coach and manager at various levels of the organization.  A promotion to the big league staff as the Mets’ quality control coach came in 2019, and Rojas was then unexpectedly elevated to the top job in January 2020.  Carlos Beltran had been hired as the Amazins’ manager just over two months earlier, yet after the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal broke, Beltran stepped down from the post before he’d ever managed a single regular-season game.

This sudden promotion for Rojas came right before the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, making for quite a trial by fire for the first-time skipper.  The Mets finished with just a 26-34 record in Rojas’ first year, yet he was retained for a second year in 2021.  New York was in first place for a big chunk of that season but collapsed down the stretch, going just 29-45 after the All-Star break to finish with a 77-85 record.

Rojas’ club option for 2022 wasn’t picked up by the Mets, and he then stayed in the Big Apple by joining the Yankees’ coaching staff in November 2021.  Before heading to the Yankees, Rojas interviewed with the Padres about their managerial vacancy that autumn, and he also interviewed with the Marlins in 2022 before Skip Schumaker was hired.

With so few public candidates identified in Baltimore’s search, it isn’t yet clear if the team is primarily focused on people with big league managerial experience (like Rojas or Mansolino) or if the O’s are more partial to Flaherty or another first-timer being elevated to the job.  Whomever the choice may be, they’ll face a challenge in trying to get the Orioles and their young core back on track after a very disappointing 2025 campaign.  The Orioles followed up consecutive playoff appearances with a 75-87 setback this year, though Mansolino did post a 60-59 record after he took over from Brandon Hyde in May.

Ryan Flaherty Expected To Be In Mix For Orioles, Padres Managerial Searches

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Mike Shildt’s decision to step down as San Diego’s manager opens an eighth vacancy around the game. Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty could be in the mix for at least a couple of those positions.

Joel Sherman of The New York Post listed Flaherty and Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla among those to keep an eye on as potential options to replace Shildt. Meanwhile, The Post’s Jon Heyman writes that Flaherty could be among the top choices for the Orioles position. (Heyman adds that Baltimore still hasn’t closed the door on giving the full-time job to Tony Mansolino, who held the role on an interim basis after Brandon Hyde was fired in May.)

Neither Flaherty nor Niebla is confirmed to have scheduled an interview. The Padres are surely in the very early stages of the process. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Shildt informed the team he was stepping down on Saturday.

Flaherty has ties to both the Padres and Orioles. He spent the majority of his playing career with the O’s, appearing in six seasons between 2012-17. Even though neither owner David Rubenstein nor president of baseball operations Mike Elias were part of the organization at that time, Flaherty surely has some connections to the club.

He’s also a known commodity to the San Diego front office. The 39-year-old began his coaching career with the Padres and quickly worked his way up to bench coach. He and Shildt were the top internal candidates for the managerial job after the Friars parted ways with Bob Melvin two years ago. Flaherty interviewed but was granted permission to explore other opportunities once the Padres hired Shildt. He took the bench coach role under Craig Counsell in Chicago, a job he has held for the past two seasons.

Niebla, 53, has built a reputation as one of the sport’s top pitching coaches. He was an assistant in Cleveland until landing the pitching coach job with San Diego over the 2021-22 offseason. His hiring came a few days before the Padres tabbed Melvin, and he has held the role under a pair of managers. The Friars signed Niebla to a multi-year extension last offseason.

It’s not all that common for pitching coaches to jump into managerial roles. The bench coach position is typically more of a springboard to the top gig. Still, that’s not entirely unheard of — former Cincinnati manager Bryan Price was a pitching coach both before and after his managerial stint, as one example — and the Padres’ front office clearly values Niebla’s work with the pitching staff.

Chris Owings Announces Retirement

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Infielder Chris Owings announced his retirement on his Instagram page last week. He last played in affiliated ball in the Dodgers organization in 2024. Now, it appears the 11-year big-league veteran will hang up his spikes at the age of 34. “This game has given me more than I could’ve ever imagined,” said Owings, who went on to thank his family, coaches, and the various organizations of which he had been a part during his career.

Owings was drafted in the first round by the Diamondbacks in 2009, making his major-league debut four years later. He would spend six seasons with Arizona, playing a total of 575 games out in the desert and batting .250/.291/.378 with a 73 wRC+. During that time, he maxed out at 552 plate appearances in 147 games in 2015. The following year, he led the majors in triples (11) while batting .277/.315/.416 in 119 games and splitting time between shortstop and center field. After leaving the Diamondbacks following the 2018 season, he went on to spend brief major-league stints with the Royals, Red Sox, Rockies, Orioles, and Pirates, often acting as a utility player. His last big-league appearances came in 2023 with Pittsburgh. He signed a minor league pact with the Dodgers in February 2024 and played in 80 games at the Triple-A level before being released in July of that year.

In all, Owings played in 723 games and earned just over $11MM in his career. He batted .239/.286/.364 with 550 hits, 37 home runs, 220 RBI, and 79 stolen bases. He was also a serviceable defender, grading out as below-average in 2,105 1/3 innings at shortstop (-11 career DRS) but above average in 1,647 2/3 innings at the keystone (9 DRS). We at MLBTR congratulate Owings on a solid career and wish him the best in retirement.

Photo courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images

Orioles’ Albert Suarez Expected To Avoid Surgery

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Orioles righty Albert Suarez’s season ended with an elbow injury, and the 36-year-old underwent an MRI earlier this week to determine whether there was any structural damage that would necessitate surgery. The team announced to its beat that Suarez has been diagnosed with a “mild” strain of the flexor tendon in his right forearm (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). The expectation is that he’ll be cleared to begin a throwing program within the next several weeks.

It’s a sigh of relief for both Orioles and Suarez, who seems like he’ll avoid surgery barring any notable setbacks once he begins that throwing progression. A shoulder strain limited him to just 11 2/3 innings this season, but Suarez was an out-of-the-blue key contributor for the 2024 Orioles, tossing 133 2/3 innings with a 3.70 ERA between the rotation and bullpen. That marked his first big league action since 2017; Suarez spent the 2019-23 seasons pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and in the Korea Baseball Organization — throwing quite well in each league.

Suarez’s success overseas piqued the Orioles’ interest enough to bring him aboard as a minor league signee at age 34 in the 2023-24 offseason. He’s since given the team a total of 145 1/3 innings with a 3.59 ERA, 19.4% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate. The Orioles figure to be on the hunt for ways to bolster a rotation that right now includes Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish and Dean Kremer at the very least. Righty Tyler Wells looked sharp in four late starts this season after returning from Tommy John surgery. Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez is in the mix, too, though he didn’t pitch in 2025 after undergoing an elbow debridement procedure. Right-hander Brandon Young and former top prospects Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott could factor into the rotation as well.

The top trio of Bradish (who, like Wells, returned from Tommy John surgery this season), the steadily reliable Kremer and the revitalized Rogers makes for a solid top three. Between Wells, Rodriguez, Povich, McDermott, Young and Suarez, the O’s have some decent depth, but most of that group has had some recent health concerns and/or struggles in the majors.

Suarez is the only one of that bunch who doesn’t have minor league options remaining, however, making him a strong favorite to open the 2026 season in a swing capacity — health permitting. Baltimore controls him for another three seasons, and he’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a $900K salary for the right-hander.

Baltimore is expected to be active in both the free agent and trade markets this offseason. President of baseball operations Mike Elias told MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald in last week’s podcast appearance that the Orioles “don’t want to take that off the table, by any means” when asked about his club’s willingness to invest multiple years in a free agent starting pitcher.

MLBTR Podcast: Rockies’ Front Office Changes, Skip Schumaker, And ABS Talk

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • The Rockies parting ways with general manager Bill Schmidt (1:45)
  • The Rangers hiring Skip Schumaker as manager (9:50)
  • The ABS challenge system coming to MLB for 2026 (15:20)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Will the upcoming expiration of the CBA after 2026 lead teams to not spend money this winter? (24:10)
  • With some recent teams selling at the deadline and then making late surges, will it lead to changes in how teams approach future deadlines? (30:15)
  • Which free agent pitchers could sign one-year deals to be traded next summer? (35:15)
  • Who are realistic targets for the Orioles this offseason? (46:10)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Orlando Ramirez, Imagn Images

Poll: Should The Orioles Stick With Tony Mansolino?

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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:

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