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Orioles Search for New Manager, Need to Find the Right Fit

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The Baltimore Orioles are looking to start fresh for the 2026 MLB season, starting with the search for a new manager. Despite the poor performance of the team, general manager Mike Elias praised interim manager Tony Mansolino for doing a “terrific job.” The temporary skipper took over for former manager of the year Brandon Hyde in May and went 60-59.

The Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde on Saturday after a shockingly poor start to the season.
Apr 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde stands in the dugout prior to the start of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

 

Several managers found themselves or are expected to be out of a job within the coming days as the MLB postseason gets underway. It will be a challenge for the team to find the right manager and lead a young, inexperienced team to the playoffs. There are numerous options the team could look to in their search to bring leadership and purpose to the clubhouse.

Orioles Begin Search for New Manager

Tony Mansolino, The Safe Candidate

Most teams look inward when searching for a new skipper; the case isn’t different with Baltimore. The team can easily settle for what they have and avoid a long and arduous process of interviewing, comparing, and overall drama by going with Mansolino.

During his end-of-the-year press conference, the 43-year-old interim skipper already laid out his case to stay.

“At no point, even the day that Mike kind of handed the reins to me, at no point did I feel overwhelmed,” Mansalino said per ESPN. He added that he felt he “passed with flying colors in a lot of ways.”

It should be noted that Mansolino finished with a roster that had a lineup placing sixth-worst in batting average, and under a .700 OPS. On the pitching side, the team’s rotation ranked as one of the worst behind the Colorado Rockies and Athletics.

It’s not Mansolino’s fault, however, as injuries knocked out some of their best rotation options. The team’s lineup also lacked power players outside of Gunnar Henderson. Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano found themselves with the San Diego Padres at the deadline despite good seasons.

Mansolino is already familiar with the Orioles, having been their third-base coach between 2021 and May 2025. If the players want familiarity as a manager, he might be the route to go.

Bob Melvin, The New Old-School Option

Sometimes, a team might want to bring in a guy capable of causing a culture shock in the clubhouse. Maybe the team needs a “winner” presence to spark the team. Bob Melvin fits both categories if the team seeks to shake things up altogether.

The 63-year-old manager got canned by the San Francisco Giants after finishing with almost two straight .500 seasons. But don’t let it fool anyone, since he had a decade-long string of successes with Oakland. He’s also a three-time Manager of the Year, twice with Oakland, once with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Despite being a coach since the 1990s, before analytics, he’s embraced a new sabermetric focus on the sport. Melvin has also been painted as a player’s manager, something they love about him.

“If you get set in your ways, then you’re going to lose your players,” Melvin told The Athletic in 2021.

The fact that he was able to take a shoestring budget Athletics team to the playoffs repeatedly suggests he can do the same with the Orioles. A great manager can lead any type of team to a postseason trip. Giving him a few rotation pieces works wonders if he’s selected to lead.

Joe Espada, The Unlikely Option

There’s always the curveball element to any team, and the process of hiring managers isn’t exempt from that list. The Orioles could shock everyone and pick someone that few, if any, experts would think. Joe Espada falls in the top of that category.

The 50-year-old holds 15 years of coaching experience, so there’s a wealth of experience there. He’s also been through the best of the Astros’ lineups and the worst of their teams. Never mind the trash can scandal in 2019-2020, with the right corps of players, his teams can be unstoppable.

The Astros’ collapse in 2025 looms large over his head, however, given that they had Hunter Brown in the rotation and brought back Carlos Correa. They managed to make the playoffs in 2024 with a decent 1-2-3 rotation and a healthy Yordan Alvarez, but lost to the Detroit Tigers in two games in the Wild Card Series.

If the Orioles want a manager who has postseason success, Espada might be best reserved for the bench. Then again, it’s hard to gloss over someone with 15 years of coaching experience.

 

Main Photo Credit: © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The post Orioles Search for New Manager, Need to Find the Right Fit appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.