The Baltimore Orioles have now dropped seven consecutive games, bringing their record to 15-31. Things haven’t improved since Brandon Hyde was dismissed over the weekend. Remarkably, this is largely the same roster that notched 101 wins just two seasons ago.
There’s plenty of blame to go around. While it’s unfair to place all the responsibility on one person—whether that be Hyde or any of the underperforming stars in the lineup—the bulk of the blame reasonably falls on GM Mike Elias. He did very little to address the team’s most glaring weakness during the offseason.
Losing out on Corbin Burnes was one thing—it seemed like a foregone conclusion from the moment that trade was finalized. But the real issue was Baltimore’s complete failure to find a viable alternative. Pitching has been their downfall in back-to-back first-round playoff exits, yet Elias made no meaningful moves in free agency to fix it.
Sean Manaea reveals just how little Mike Elias did to address Orioles’ rotation woes
The Orioles were never truly in the running for top-tier free agents like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried. While it’s fair to criticize their lack of urgency, the reality is that landing those names was never likely. What’s more troubling, however, is GM Mike Elias’ apparent reluctance to even explore the next tier of starting pitchers. His only additions were one-year deals handed out to aging veterans — 41-year-old Charlie Morton (\$15 million) and 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano (\$13 million).
Meanwhile, pitchers like Sean Manaea were realistic targets. After a breakout postseason, Manaea signed a three-year, \$75 million deal to return to the Mets — a price tag well within reach for a small-market contender like Baltimore. Yet, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Orioles didn’t even reach out. “I asked Sean Manaea if the Orioles reached out to him,” Olney said. “He just kind of shrugged, ‘No.’ That blew my mind.”
And Manaea wasn’t an outlier. The Orioles didn’t seriously pursue anyone in that mid-tier range. Jack Flaherty got little interest from Baltimore. Nathan Eovaldi re-signed with the Rangers on a deal identical to Manaea’s, and there’s no indication the Orioles were ever in the mix. Luis Severino signed with the A’s for three years and \$67 million. Yusei Kikuchi went to the Angels on a similar contract. Baltimore sat on the sidelines.
If the Orioles won’t pay to keep their stars and also won’t spend on reliable mid-rotation arms, then what’s the plan? Elias has given out just one multi-year deal as GM — the three-year, \$49 million contract to Tyler O’Neill, which already looks like a misstep. That money might’ve been better spent shoring up a rotation that continues to hold this team back.
