BALTIMORE -- First order of business for the Orioles this offseason: hire a full-time manager.
On Monday afternoon, president of baseball operations Mike Elias announced during his season-ending press conference in the warehouse at Camden Yards that Baltimore will begin an intensive search for a new skipper. That process will involve Tony Mansolino, who served as interim manager following Brandon Hyde’s dismissal on May 17.
“I've told [Mansolino] that we are going to utilize the opportunity of having the permanent chair vacant to talk to other people and learn and see who is available, who's interested and figure out who the right fit is for this team for 2026,” Elias said. “That process is going to include him, and he will be a real candidate. But I expect we are going to talk to other people, and we're initiating that process imminently.”
Elias won’t be the sole decision-maker involved in the hiring process of a manager, as he shared the ownership group (led by private equity billionaire David Rubenstein), president of business operations Catie Griggs and other members of the front office will be part of it.
Mansolino believes he built a strong case for consideration while leading the O’s to a 60-59 record during his tenure following their 15-28 start. The 43-year-old former third-base coach gained support from players with his leadership style, which featured holding guys accountable.
However, Mansolino -- the son of longtime MLB coach Doug Mansolino -- is aware the Orioles could move in another direction. If that’s the case, would he be interested in trying to stay on Baltimore’s staff in a non-managerial role?
“I’m a loyal person, I love this place in a lot of ways, I’m very thankful to it,” Mansolino said. “I’m open to all options, but obviously understand that it’s not just about me. There’s a family at home, and business is business.”
It’s possible the O’s could also be in the market for a general manager as well in the near future.
Prior to the 2025 season, Elias was promoted to president of baseball operations, a move that wasn’t announced and did not become public knowledge until it was reported earlier this month. It left Baltimore without any person holding the title of GM.
“At that point in time, with everything that we had going on, it wasn't a huge immediate priority for me to announce that, or for us to announce that. And as we got into the season and things started to go the way that they went, it was nowhere near my mind at that time to address that situation,” Elias said. “It does provide us the ability to utilize the general manager title in a way that many, many other organizations, and a growing number of other organizations, are starting to utilize it to beef up throughout, but also the talent, in the front office. And it's something that we have begun to consider and explore.
“But obviously, it's got to be the right person, the right fit -- for the Orioles, for the org, for the whole situation -- and it may not happen imminently.”
On that note, Elias said the hiring of a GM -- or a front-office executive in another type of role -- may happen this offseason, or it may not. The job’s duties would depend on the person hired, and there is no current timetable.
To Baltimore, it’s more pressing to fill its managerial vacancy at this time.
“The manager search has its own timetable, and that’s a decision -- whether it’s going to be Tony or somebody else -- that we want to make ASAP,” Elias said.
Here’s a few other pieces of news that came from Elias’ comments:
• Outfielder Heston Kjerstad (a former Top 100 prospect) has been dealing with a “medical condition” and has been undergoing treatment, which he’s “responded favorably” to, per Elias, who did not want to elaborate on the situation. The 26-year-old was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on June 10, placed on the injured list on July 29 due to fatigue and did not play after that.
• Asked about the Adley Rutschman trade buzz that circulated in reports following the signing of fellow catcher Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension in late August, Elias quashed those rumors when asked about them.
“Adley's the guy, he will be our frontline catcher,” Elias said. “There's a lot of playing time to go around between those two guys, and I'm glad that we have both of them together.”
• Grayson Rodriguez, who missed all of the 2025 season due to various elbow/lat injuries, is scheduled to start a throwing ramp-up in October. The 25-year-old right-hander is expected to be ready for the beginning of Spring Training.