Brandon Hyde was Mike Elias’ handpicked guy to lead this team. Elias stuck with him through the rebuilding years and did not replace him the moment the team got good (That is not usually how it goes for rebuild managers). Just 10 days before Hyde was fired Elias did a whole “We can still turn the season around” press tour where he said multiple times that the team’s struggles were not Brandon Hyde’s fault and I don’t think that in the last 10 days he changed his mind.
Clearly the embarrassing losses piled up and the pressure built in the warehouse and it had to get released somehow and Brandon Hyde was the one who had to fall on his sword. What is encouraging to me about this is not that we are free of Brandon Hyde specifically but that it shows that this Orioles front office and ownership does feel the pressure. They can hear the boos echoing around the stadium as the Orioles trail 6-0 in the first, they can see the fans walking around with paper bags over their heads and they are not able to turn a blind eye to the product that they are putting out on the field.
I would have been disappointed but not surprised if the Orioles had just said “Hey too many of our guys got hurt and look at how unlucky we’ve been according to xwOBA! We’ll run it back next year and hope things fall our way.” but that is not what is happening. Instead we just saw the first domino fall that could lead to a total leadership overhaul in Baltimore.
Whether that overhaul comes in the form of an entirely new front office or just having the current front office reevaluate how they go about trying to compete for the World Series, at the very least the O’s will have a new manager next year so today we’re looking at who could be the Orioles next manager.
Potential Managers
Compared to the other teams that have fired their managers the Orioles should be a much more attractive job for prospective managers. Despite how poorly this season has gone when the 2026 season starts this team will still have one of the best players in the league in Gunnar Henderson, several promising young players returning from injury and one of the top prospects in the sport about to debut.
There are missing pieces but the foundation for a winning team is still there. The Orioles are not about to have to go through a full rebuild to return to contention. They need a decent trade deadline and a productive offseason and then I’ll be right back to picking them to win the AL East.
So maybe I’m about to step on another Orioles colored rake but I am optimistic that the Orioles should be able to hire from the top of manager market.
When it comes to hiring a manager there are a few different avenues the team could go. (not necessarily ranked)
- Hire a retread manager
- Hire a first time manager out of the assistant coach ranks
- Hire a recently retired former player
- Entice an old school manager to come out of retirement
In my quest to help the Orioles find the perfect manager I’m going to look at each of these possible categories.
Hire a Retread
The term retread sounds a bit overly negative but it accurate. There are only 30 MLB Manager positions so the field of people with experience doing the job that aren’t currently doing the job for another team is relatively small compared to hiring for almost other position.
Hiring someone with experience can be advantageous. It is easier to earn the trust of major league players if you’ve done it before, your voice carries more weight if when players hear it they know that you’re speaking from experience and there is no learning curve for the amount of decisions and responsibilities that fall on a manager’s shoulders.
The issue is that because these Manager positions are so coveted, if a guy isn’t currently employed by another team it is usually because his last team fired him. So if you decide you definitely want to hire someone with manager experience the pool of people to hire from is made up almost entirely of people who were recently fired.
Just because you were fired doesn’t mean you’ll never be a good manager. AJ Hinch was fired by the Diamondbacks and Buck Showalter has been fired by half the league and these men are regarded as very good managers so here are the candidates of former MLB Managers that are still kicking around on coaching staffs the I am sure would love to get another shot at signing the lineup card.
I went through all of the Managers that were fired in the last 10 or so years and came up with this list of names. Just because they are on this list doesn’t mean I think they are a good option but if the Orioles determine managerial experience is a must have then these are most of the guys with experience that are still around the game (I say “most of” because I removed them from consideration if my memory or research told me they were a massive loser). So here they are ranked.
- Skip Schumaker
Schumaker was most recently the manager of the Miami Marlins. It was a relatively quick stop where he saw brief success in 2023 managing the Marlins to an unlikely playoff berth and then he saw quick failure with that Marlins core imploding in on itself very quickly in the 2024 season. A family emergency caused him to leave the team early and then it was announced that he would not be returning for 2025.
Schumacher’s departure was an odd situation, after his first season, which was a pretty remarkable success in my opinion, there was a regime change and direction change for the franchise and I think there was a mix of the new GM wanting to hire his own guys and Schumaker not wanting to be a tank manager after he had made such a good impression in his first season that lead to this parting of ways.
Shumaker was tied to the manager searches for the 2 other teams who fired their managers after 2024 but the Reds job went to Hall of Famer Terry Francona and it was unclear if the Schumaker was uninterested in the White Sox of vice versa but either way the managerial musical ended and Schumaker didn’t have a seat.
Schumaker won a World Series as a player, he’s still young and relatable to current players, he understands analytics but came up in a still old school era and brings that experience into his approach. I think he would be a great fit for the Orioles. He offers a good mix of youth and experience and despite how 2025 looks the Orioles can offer him a team full of talented young players that should be trying to contend in the now.
- Mike Matheny
Matheny is a bit of an off the board pick for me at 2. He last managed for the Royals in 2022 and as far as I can tell he is not currently on a major league staff and he suffered a traumatic medical emergency last year that almost killed him. I wouldn’t be totally surprised if he is just not interested in returning to being a Major League Manager but I could not find any sort of official or unofficial statement that he was done for good.
Matheny is still active around baseball, he does public speaking events and recently published a book about managing his kids baseball team so it’s not like he’s out on a fishing boat off the coast of Mexico.
What I like about Matheny is that he has experience managing a team that is expected to win. He took over as the Cardinals manager weeks after they won the World Series and they proceeded to make the playoffs his first 4 years as the Manager including a NL Pennant in 2013.
His last few years in St. Louis combined with his tenure are the Royals manager have taken the shine off Matheny but I think with the right roster he can still lead a winning team. He’s written multiple books on leadership and management and now that he’s a veteran manager I think he’d be a strong leader for this young Orioles team, it probably wouldn’t feel too different managing his kids team.
- Jeff Banister
Banister is a bit older than my first 2 picks but similar to Matheny he has experience managing a team that is expected to win from his time as the Rangers manager following their back to back World Series trips.
Despite his age Banister has a reputation as an analytics forward manager. It’s been a little while since Banister sat in the big chair but he’s been with the D-Backs since 2022 so since he last managed he has coached in a World Series and presumably learned a lot.
- David Ross
The Cubs were pretty excited when they hired David Ross in 2020 but things didn’t really work out as they had hoped and he was fired following the 2023 season. I think the issues in Chicago were more front office related than Ross related so I’d be totally open to give Ross his second chance at managing.
Ross has been picky since he was fired by the Cubs and has chosen to not just join the first staff that would have him as a bench coach instead opting to wait until a good managing position opens up. I think the O’s could be that position and I would love to have a former big league catcher as the manager to work with Adley and Basallo going forward.
The reason he’s lower on the list is because I think it would be a little weird to fire Brandon Hyde and then hire Brandon Hyde’s friend. Not that they’re the same person but it would just be an odd thing to do.
- Scott Servais
Scott Servais would not be an exciting pick for the next Orioles Manager but he would be a solid pick. Servias was the Mariners Manager from 2016 to 2024 and he was very successful at doing what the Mariners front office wants to do, winning 54% of their games.
I would be interested to see how Servais would fair with a front office willing to invest in the team. Meaning if he is hired to work with Mike Elias I’ll be nonplussed but if he gets hired by a new front office I’ll be intrigued.
- Brad Ausmus
Wouldn’t it be nice to give Brad Ausmus some good memories at Camden Yards after he was the Manager watching Delmon Young clear the bases in 2014?
Ausmus was a young manager when he was hired by the Tigers in 2014. His tenure was up and down before his contract was not renewed following the 2017 season. He later had an odd one and done year with the Angels. It’s a little embarrassing to be one and done as a manager but I’ll chalk that up to classic Angels dysfunction rather than a true reflection on Ausmus.
Like many of the other candidates Ausmus was a catcher as a player and was known as an excellent defensive catcher and a respected game caller. I’d be interested to see if he could be the rare third chance is the charm sort of guy last year he spent a season as the Yankees bench coach so since he last managed he’s worked with a good manager and coached in the World Series.
- Ron Washington
Wait what?! Isn’t Ron Washington currently managing the Los Angeles Angels? Yes he is but let me be the first to tell you he will be fired after this season when once again they are still not good. I like Ron Washington, I wish he hadn’t taken the Angels job which was just a no win situation for him. He’s a little bit on the wild side as far he will let you know when the team lost because a player made a mistake which you can’t really beat for entertainment value.
- Bud Black
We’re getting to the part of the list where seeing a post announcing the hiring of any of these guys would probably produce a collective groan.
Black would be one of the most experienced managers the Orioles could find on the market, but to quote Thanos “That is if you call failure experience”. Black has managed for 18 major league seasons and he’s made the playoffs twice in that span. It’s not a great look but if you examine the context and see that he was managing 2 of the worst run teams in a very top heavy division then you can give him a little grace.
My interest in Black is based not so much on his resume as the fact that so many good managers and coaches have shouted out Bud Black over the years. You could argue that Black being respected by his peers is not reason to hire him and you might be right but I can’t help but be impressed by some of the testimonials Black has received.
- Ron Roenicke
Would Roenicke have a manager job right now if he hadn’t taken that Red Sox job when they clearly planned on rehing Alex Cora once his suspension was done? Or did he take that job because nobody wants to hire Ron Roenicke? These are just questions I am not equipped to answer.
Roenicke has lots of coaching experience and he was the bench coach for the Red Sox during their World Series run. Also he is currently in the Dodgers front office so if Roenicke were to be hired as manager along with a GM also brought over from that front office that could be cool.
- John Gibbons
Always fun when a Manager has 2 stints managing the same team. Gibbons presided over the best years in recent Blue Jays history.
- David Bell
David Bell is like what if Brandon Hyde was less successful.
- Fredi Gonzalez
This would be really funny. It would also mean that the current front office is also gone because there’s no way they’d bring him back.
- Derek Shelton
I don’t think Shelton’s lack of success as the Pirates manager means he’s a bad manager but if the Orioles were to hire him it would feel like “Are we really hiring castoffs from the Pittsburgh Pirates?” BUT if there was ever an organization that would move on from a talented smart person to cover up for ownership dysfunction it would be the Pittsburgh Pirates. So maybe he’s a diamond in plain sight.
- Phil Nevin
Phil Nevin’s career as a major league manager is an odd one. He took over the Angels relatively early in the season after they got off to bad start, during his time as interim manager it didn’t get better and then brought him back for another season and the fired him when it went poorly again.
- Gabe Kapler
It would be fun to have a manager who isn’t ashamed to be sexy but I would hate to distract Gabe from working on his TIK TOK thirst traps.
- Bo Porter
Certainly wouldn’t be an Elias choice but if Elias is out maybe the new guy wants to get retro with it.
- Charlie Montoyo
Montoyo might be a good coach but I just don’t really want to hire someone who the Blue Jays fired.
- Bob Geren
Bob Geren has managed a Major League team.
- Chris Woodward and Jayce Tingler
Is it bad when you are involved in a public feud where you both come off as morons and then when you get fired the teams you were managing immediately get better? Ask these two guys.
I will say failing as a young manager doesn’t mean you’ll never figure it out so there is always a chance these guys could catch on somewhere else.
First Time Managers
This is a more difficult field to evaluate. There are only so many guys who have ever been managers before and there are hundreds of guys who have been coaches or assistants. To find the best names I looked at the finalists for the last few open manager positions and I also flipped through all of the current MLB coaching staffs to see if any names jumped out at me.
- Ryan Flaherty
Is Ryan Flaherty my number one pick for the first time managers because there is an unbreakable bond between a man and the scrappy utility player from his favorite team growing up? Yes.
Does that mean I’m wrong? No!
Flaherty has been on the path to becoming a manager ever since his playing career ended in 2019. He started out as an advance scout and development coach for the Padres. He worked his way up until he became the bench coach in 2023. In 2024 he took over as bench coach for the Cubs as part of Craig Council’s staff and that’s where he is now.
He was in the peripheral conversation for the Reds and White Sox managers position so it’s not like he has no juice to his name as a potential manager. Why not bring him back to where he played the bulk of his major league career and let him fire up the boys?
Maybe he can even convince his brother in law Nick Markakis to work with the hitters.
- George Lombard
I like guys that have spent time with good organizations and worked with good managers. George Lombard coached for the Dodgers and was the first base coach when they won the World Series and he is now in his 4th season as the Tigers bench coach under AJ Hinch.
The Tigers have a fantastic clubhouse culture and I would love a taste of that in Baltimore.
- Craig Albernaz
Albernaz was a finalist for both the White Sox and the Marlins positions and reportedly he turned them down not the other way around, so this is a guy in demand. He has coached in the Rays, Giants and now the Guardians organizations and is known as a very beloved coach everywhere he has been.
He’s been a big part of helping Steven Vogt establish a culture in Cleveland and it seems like he would be a strong choice to help Orioles build their culture from scratch after this season’s crash out.
- Rodney Linares
This is maybe the best option if Mike Elias is the guy picking the next manager. Linares was with the Astros from 1999 to 2018, most of that time spent as a minor league manager so he would have been very familiar with Mike Elias.
Linares has been with the Rays since 2018 and has been the bench coach since 2022 so he has the requisite experience and he’s been a candidate for some of the recent managerial openings.
- Daniel Descalso
Descalso has just 1 year of coaching experience and is just 38 years old so he’d be a very young manager and relatively inexperienced manager but in his short time with the Cardinals he has been very popular especially with the young players trying to make a name for themselves and even after just 1 year as bench coach he is getting buzz as a future Manager.
- Miguel Cairo
Cairo has some very interesting experience. He was the bench coach under Tony La Russa during La Russa’s most recent stint with the White Sox and because of La Russa’s health he got some experience being the actual manager at different points during his White Sox tenure.
After the White Sox he spent a season as a minor league field coordinator before returning as a bench coach for the Nationals in 2024. None of this experience screams “must hire” but it is a unique resume.
- Dusty Wathan
Similar to Linares, Wathan served his time in the minor leagues and has been an assistant coach in the major leagues since the 2018 season. Across both levels Wathan has been coaching for 18 years so compared to many of the other first time managers the O’s might consider Wathan’s experience dwarfs theirs.
I’m in favor of a younger manager for a younger team but someone that can remind a player “I’ve been coaching since you were in kindergarten” might not be worst thing for this group.
- Kristopher Negron
Negron is a relatively new face in the coaching scene but he was viewed as valuable enough that he survived and was even promoted after Scott Servais was dismissed in Seattle. In general he is seen as a “future manager” but I think he would be a shade green to take over a win now team.
- Mark DeRosa
DeRosa has not been an MLB coach of any kind but he did manage Team USA 2023 World Baseball Classic. Hiring DeRosa out of the MLB Network studio would be a fun move but I don’t think that would necessarily be the right move for and Orioles team that really needs to go in a new direction after a disaster season.
Former Player With little To No MLB Coaching Experience
This is an option I am not a big fan of but it did just work as well as you could ever hope for the Guardians with Steven Vogt. Vogt was clearly angling to become a manager during his time as a backup catcher in his last few seasons and when the Guardians hired him it wasn’t because of his experience as a quality control coach for the Mariners. It was because he was basically an assistant coach his last few years in the big leagues. So the questions is: is there anyone out there like that?
- Yadier Molina
It is rare that a legendary player wants to be a manager at the end of their career but catchers are built different and since he retired Yadier Molina has been grinding in the Dominican League and he manages Puerto Rico in the WBC.
Getting Molina as the manager would really move the needle. It feels like it could change the trajectory of Adley Rutschman’s career. I think it would help the young pitchers that are going to be coming back from injuries. It’s possible he’s got some sort of agreement in place with the Cardinals that he’s going to take over once they are ready to compete again but if David Rubenstien wants to make a splash this is the move.
- Grady Sizemore
Sizemore broke into the big league coaching/front office ranks as a $15/hour intern for the Diamondbacks in 2023 which is a story that I absolutely love. He got a job coaching for the White Sox last year and ended up being “the guy” who had to take over when it was finally over for Pedro Grifol.
Compared to most other managerial candidates Sizemore has pretty limited experience but he clearly has that dog in him and after this season as the White Sox offensive coordinator (ridiculous baseball title but whatever) he’ll have 2 years of experience and could be a fun manager for these Orioles.
He understands what it is like to be a highly anticipated prospect, he understands what it is like to perform at a high level and he understands the hard part of the baseball career.
- Robinson Chirinos
Chirinos always wanted to be a coach and he’s currently on the Orioles staff in his first season as a coach. All the guys love him. He’d be a good bridge between the American and the Latino players. I wish that they had made him the interim manager to see if he could earn the job but with how the season is going to go it might be a good thing that he was spared having his name tied to the this season.
- Adam Jones
The O’s have a chance to have the coolest manager in baseball if they are brave enough to act. I think Adam Jones could energize the group, he’s already around the organization, hiring him would buy you a lot of goodwill with the fans. He’s a very smart guy and I think he’d do a good job both managing the game and managing the guy’s emotions.
- Martin Maldonado
Maldonado’s desire to one day be a manager is well known. He is still currently playing so it might be a lot to ask for him to retire at the end of the season and just start managing the Baltimore Orioles a few months later, but if the O’s want to be a disruptor why not?
- AJ Ellis
Another former catcher who looks like he’s going to find his way to a manager job. He’s currently on the Padres org and that’s a team who’s vibe I’d like to bring to Baltimore.
- Kyle Gibson
Things Kyle Gibson can do: Fire up the boys with a good speech
Things Kyle Gibson can’t do: Pitch at a Major League Level
Pitchers don’t become managers very often but Gibby’s leadership seems to bridge the gap between pitchers and position players.
Convince An Old School Manager To Come Out of Retirement
I don’t care too much for any of these candidates but it would certainly be a welcome change of direction to have a manager with enough clout to tell the front office “I’m the manager and I’ve been there and done that and I’m going to do things my way.”
- Mike Scioscia
Scioscia has won the World Series. Granted that was before Jackson Holliday was born but still he has the hardware. He’s managed over 3,000 games and been in the playoffs 7 times (and that was before the expanded playoffs with the current rules he would have been in the playoffs almost every year during the 00’s)
Scioscia did some managing around USA baseball as recently as last year and he’s only 66 so it’s not like they’d have to steal him out of retirement home to get him back in the game.
- Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker is one of the greatest managers ever, he recently capped off his managerial career with his long sought after World Series title and he is 75 years old so if Dusty wants to stay retired he can stay retired BUT is he had even an inkling of coming back I’d let him manage the Orioles in a heartbeat.
- Buck Showalter
LOL. Am I stupid for thinking this could work????
- Joe Maddon
Joe Maddon got fired while he had a secret mullet that nobody ever got to see. If Maddon had gone into retirement after 2019 he might have been considered a top manager of his era and maybe he is but the Angels can take the shine off of anyone.
Baltimore could be his chance for redemption.
- Joe Girardi
Girardi’s tenure as the Phillies Manager went so poorly it launched him into a broadcasting career. Still I think a manager with 1,000+ career wins and a World Series Ring could help the Orioles team.
- Ozzie Guillen
Ozzie would be fun to write about.
I chose to divide up these different categories because it’s hard to rank someone like Scott Servais against Grady Sizemore because what you would expect each guy to bring to the table would be so different but if I had to pick a top 5 options here is what it would be.
- Skip Schumaker
- Yadier Molina
- Ryan Flaherty
- Mike Matheny
- Grady Sizemore
Brandon Hyde Obituary
Brandon Hyde was and is a controversial figure in the Orioles ecosystem. There was so much that he did that drove me insane but at the same time he checked the most important box a manager can check.
He steadfastly refused to ever put his best lineup on field 3 days in a row, he loved lefty righty matchups more than life itself and he had an unexplainable fascination with Jorge Mateo and Cionel Perez but at the end of the day his players loved and respected him and they played hard for him.
With MLB managers the fans only get to see the tip of the iceberg. Out of all the major sports coaches the baseball manager is the hardest to evaluate. When the camera pans to the manager during a game you don’t see him barking orders into a headset or drawing up plays on a tiny whiteboard he is usually just standing there.
Sure there are times you see the manager like when he calls to the bullpen or goes and screams at the ump until he gets ejected but most of the time when the camera finds the manager he’s just sitting there. (Especially Brandon Hyde, more than any other manager I know he truly has mastered the 1000 mile stare)
I believe that most of what makes a manager a good manager is what happens away from the cameras in locker rooms, on teams flights and around batting cages. The baseball season is a marathon, the players start their season in February and if all goes well they won’t be done until October. During that time they are with their teammates and coaches more than their families and their manager becomes a central figure in their lives.
For many of the Orioles players Brandon Hyde is the only MLB Manager they’ve ever had and you could tell from the interviews that the players gave that he meant a great deal to them.
But like a young teenager going through their first break up these players will find that there are other fish in the sea and they will have many more managers who they will come to respect and appreciate.
Hyde to his credit should not struggle to find another managerial job. I can’t predict what other positions will be open but I think Hyde would be an immediate upgrade for Pittsburgh or Colorado so it’s possible he could be managing as soon as next season.
There have been times over the last few seasons when I would have been ok with firing Brandon Hyde. There were stretches were I have been exasperated by his in game decision making on a daily basis and if the Orioles had chosen to move on from him after they got swept out of the playoffs I think that would have been fine but blaming Hyde for the 2025 Orioles season feels wrong.
It’s like if you had a teacher you didn’t like because they gave too much homework and didn’t let you sit next to your friends and then they got fired because the principal spent 70 million dollars on computers born in the 1980s and now the school is at risk of getting shut down.
You wouldn’t miss the teacher but it would still feel unfair.
It’s the same with Hyde, I will not miss him but he definitely got a raw deal.
Hyde will be remembered by Orioles fans for guiding the Orioles through the tank but it is up to the players still on the team to decide if that tank was the beginning of a new era or just a waste of a half decade.
When I think of his best moments I’ll remember him charging towards the Yankees dugout after they beaned Heston Kjerstad in the head and for his short but sweet speech when the Orioles won the AL East in 2023.
The Dishwasher 
Leave a reply to TheDishwasher Cancel reply