Hyde happy to join Rays organization he admired as a rival

TAMPA -- Brandon Hyde has some history with the Rays.

His first game as a Major League manager came at Tropicana Field on June 19, 2011. He remembers the 2-1 loss to Joe Maddon’s Rays well. Marlins manager Edwin Rodríguez abruptly resigned that Father’s Day morning, and Hyde -- then the bench coach -- was thrust into the interim managerial role for one game, a defeat in which James Shields pitched a complete game.

“That was a scramble,” Hyde recalled in a phone interview earlier this week. “I brought in Randy Choate in a big spot to face Casey Kotchman, and he hit a little sand wedge down the left-field line on the chalk. We ended up losing, 2-1.”

Hyde spent plenty more time across the field from the Rays over the past seven years. He guided the Orioles through a difficult rebuild, the success of which was reflected in their record against Tampa Bay. The Rays won 18 of their 19 matchups in 2021 and 10 of 19 in ’22, then the Orioles won the season series in ’23 (8-5) and ’24 (9-4) as they returned to the postseason.

After being dismissed by the Orioles on May 17 due to a 15-28 start, Hyde found himself looking for a new opportunity. He has long admired the Rays, and they were interested in the 2023 American League Manager of the Year’s wealth of experience and insight. Their talks led to the Rays officially hiring Hyde on Monday as a senior advisor in their baseball operations department.

“I was looking this offseason to be a part of an organization that I believe in and can hopefully help, and the Rays are definitely an organization like that and an organization that I have thought really highly of over the years,” Hyde said. “I’m excited to be joining them.”

Rays manager Kevin Cash has always spoken highly of Hyde, who said the two formed a friendship built on mutual respect. Even while managing rival American League East teams over the years, Hyde said he and Cash would talk during the season and even share advice in the offseason.

“Successful organizations, I’m always interested in their processes and how they evaluate -- and the Rays are really well-respected around the league,” Hyde said. “There's always been curiosity on my part in how they do things, and I respect Kevin and the coaching staff there a ton. When you manage against them that many years, that many times a year, you know each other pretty well and you know each other's teams well and organizations. So, to be a part of the group, it's exciting for me.”

The Rays expect Hyde will be able to offer support throughout the organization, and he’s well-positioned to do that. For one, he lives in Venice, Fla., conveniently located between Tropicana Field and the club’s Spring Training complex in Port Charlotte. That will allow him to be around the big league team throughout the season and help out Minor League coaches and players, starting with mini-camps leading into Spring Training.

“For me, that's what [the role] is: It's to support, be a resource for coaches, players, staff throughout the organization. Evaluate, get to know everybody, lend a helping hand,” Hyde said. “I’m excited to be a resource for the Major League team. I'm excited to be a resource for the Minor League coaches and rovers that they have. I'm sure I'll be in a lot of different places.”

And he has plenty of experience to draw from. After playing four years in the Minors, he got his start as a Minor League coach, manager and infield coordinator before joining the Marlins’ coaching staff. He also served as the Cubs’ director of player development and Minor League field coordinator before serving on Maddon’s staff as first-base coach and bench coach.

“I've managed a 100-loss team, and I've been on a team that won the World Series. I've been a part of two rebuilds -- two successful rebuilds. I've been around really, really impactful front-office people and been very, very fortunate,” Hyde said. “I hope that all these experiences can help out others in any way possible, and I’m looking forward to sharing them.”

Having spent so much time in big league dugouts lately, Hyde noted with a laugh that he hasn’t seen a Minor League game in “a while, so I’m honestly really interested in that.” He hasn’t closed the door on managing in the Majors again, but for now his priority is assisting a team he’s long enjoyed competing against.

“I'm just interested right now, honestly, in focusing on this year and helping out the Rays as much as I possibly can,” Hyde said. “If an opportunity opens up down the road, and it's the right fit for me personally and there's a relationship there with the front office that I think we're going to be aligned, then I'd probably consider it.”