Familiar faces expected to return to O's 2026 coaching staff (source)

LAS VEGAS -- The Orioles’ coaching staff under first-year manager Craig Albernaz for the 2026 season won’t consist of entirely new faces.

Drew French, Buck Britton, Mitch Plassmeyer and Ryan Klimek are all expected to return to Baltimore, according to a source. The club has not yet confirmed or announced the decisions, nor is it clear what their exact titles will be.

It seems likely that French will remain the pitching coach, a position he has held since the 2024 season. The 41-year-old joined the O’s after serving as the Braves’ bullpen coach from ‘20-23.

Plassmeyer has been in the organization since 2022, serving as the assistant pitching coach since the '24 season. The 30-year-old also became the interim bullpen coach on May 17 following the dismissal of former Major League field coordinator/catching instructor Tim Cossins.

Klimek has been the pitching strategy coach since 2022. The 34-year-old has been in the organization since ‘17, previously serving as coordinator of Major League scouting (‘19-21), a video/advance scouting assistant (‘18-19) and a player development intern (‘17).

The Orioles’ 4.60 team ERA this past season tied for 25th in MLB. However, the staff was hit hard by injuries. The group performed better during French’s first year as the leader of the pitching coaches, finishing with a 3.94 ERA that ranked 14th in the Majors in 2024.

Britton joined Baltimore’s staff as a Major League coach prior to the 2025 season after previously serving as Triple-A Norfolk's manager from ‘22-24. The 39-year-old became interim third-base coach after former third-base coach Tony Mansolino became interim manager on May 17.

Members of the O’s often praised Britton’s skills as a third-base coach, so it would make sense for him to return to that role next season.

The new additions to the Orioles’ coaching staff are set to include bench coach Donnie Ecker, hitting coach Dustin Lind and first-base coach Jason Bourgeois, according to sources.

Baltimore will also likely add an assistant hitting coach (or two) to serve under Lind. Grant Anders, who served as Major League development coach the past two seasons, will not be returning, according to a source.

It’s been an offseason filled with change for the O’s, who hired Albernaz on Oct. 27 and have since worked on assembling their coaching staff. They also made a series of changes to the titles of various front-office employees this past weekend.

However, president of baseball operations Mike Elias said at the General Managers Meetings on Wednesday that it’s “unlikely” the Orioles will hire a GM this offseason. That had become a possibility after Elias was promoted to POBO prior to the 2025 season.

Elias will continue to carry both the POBO and GM titles, though it’s possible Baltimore could still hire somebody as a GM further down the line. For now, the O’s will have three assistant GMs -- Sig Mejdal, Eve Rosenbaum and Brendan Fournie.

“[With] the calendar, too, it’s unlikely at this point,” Elias said. “That’s something that we’ll be able to utilize, whether it’s internally or externally in the future now with the title change that I have. But I don’t see something happening this offseason."