Baltimore Orioles Show That Firing Managers Doesn't Fix Front Office Failures

The Baltimore Orioles won 101 games in 2023 under manager Brandon Hyde, and seemed to be on the verge of becoming a perennial playoff contender. 

Gunnar Henderson had become a superstar, Adley Rutschmann was viewed as the top young catcher in baseball, and a number of top prospects were expected to help shore up the roster in 2024 and beyond. Jackson Holliday, Heston Kjerstad, Grayson Rodriguez, and Colton Cowser were supposed to make Baltimore a force to be reckoned with in the difficult American League East. 

Instead, less than a year and a half later, Hyde was fired, the Orioles sit in last place at 15-31, and they're staring down the barrel of yet another rebuilding effort. 

With Hyde removed in the midst of a losing streak, franchise leadership hoped that a change in the dugout could pay immediate dividends and push the Orioles back in the right direction. Instead, Baltimore lost 10-6 to the Washington Nationals on Saturday, 10-4 on Sunday, and 5-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

Maybe the manager wasn't the problem?

Apr 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) runs the bases after hitting a first inning solo home run against the New York Yankees  at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Orioles' Issues Start With Ownership

In a statement to the media discussing Hyde's firing, Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias took responsibility for the slow start to 2025.

"As the head of baseball operations, the poor start to our season is ultimately my responsibility," Elias said in the  statement. "Part of that responsibility is pursuing difficult changes in order to set a different course for the future.

"I want to thank Brandon for his hard work, dedication and passion all these years, and for returning the team to the playoffs and winning an AL East championship. His many positive contributions to this organization and to Baltimore will remain, and we wish he and his family the best."

He's right; it is his responsibility. As well as the responsibility of new team owner David Rubenstein, who took over and effectively refused to spend money to add to the young core group of players. The results? The most disappointing team in baseball, one whose starting rotation is without question, the worst in baseball this side of the historically bad Colorado Rockies.

That's not an exaggeration; the Orioles have allowed 260 runs this year, putting them alongside the Rockies, Marlins and Athletics as the worst pitching staffs in baseball. Three of their five starting pitchers have contributed negative wins above replacement this season, per Baseball Reference. Charlie Morton has been worth -1.1 wins himself. Outside of Tomoyuki Sugano, the Orioles' starting pitchers have contributed an astonishing -2.7 wins above replacement. 

Is that the manager's fault? Or the fault of ownership refusing to spend to add more starting pitching, and the front office for failing to find valuable contributors on cheaper deals? The Orioles had Corbin Burnes on the roster in 2024, then watched him leave for Arizona. Burnes thus far in Phoenix has 2.56 ERA. Probably would have helped in Baltimore, no?

This is the problem facing modern baseball organizations. Yes, the Orioles have underperformed. Yes, they have a number of major issues that must be addressed. None of them, though, were the manager. Did Hyde forget how to make pitching changes between 2023 and 2025? Did the young players who thrived under his leadership in 2023 and 2024 suddenly grow to despise him in the first month and a half of 2025? Of course not. 

Ownership went cheap, the front office didn't build enough quality depth to withstand injuries and underperformance, and it's come back to bite them. Managers simply don't matter much. Craig Counsell got the richest contract in MLB history for a manager to join the Chicago Cubs in 2024, and promptly missed the playoffs. The Brewers hired Pat Murphy, who'd had a losing record in his one stint as manager in San Diego in 2015, won their division and were a Devin Williams collapse away from reaching the NLDS. 

Stop wasting time and money hiring and firing managers, and start investing that money into finding and signing better players. That's the opposite of what Baltimore's done, and they've wasted another year of Gunnar Henderson's prime and seen him move one step closer to free agency. With Rubenstein's unwillingness to spend so far, why should Orioles fans think they'll be keeping him the rest of his career? And why would Henderson want to stay, knowing he'll never be supported? 

That's the real issue in Baltimore; not Brandon Hyde.