The Orioles are headed into the final eight games with little room left on the schedule and a much larger conversation waiting beyond it. Baltimore entered Saturday’s home game against Milwaukee at 75-79, three games behind the White Sox for the American League’s third Wild Card spot. A late run could still change the picture, but the club is facing the likelihood of a second straight October absence after reaching the postseason in 2023 and 2024.
Mike Elias, the president of baseball operations, used an 18-minute meeting with reporters to sketch out how Baltimore plans to respond. His message was not about tearing down the operation. It was about adding voices, expanding departments and giving manager Craig Albernaz another season to steer the dugout.
What comes next in Baltimore
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Elias said he expects to remain with the Orioles in 2027. Asked directly about his status, he said that is his expectation, adding that he approaches his role each day with the responsibility of making the best decision for the franchise at that moment.
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Albernaz will be back for a second season as manager. The 43-year-old was hired last offseason after building a strong reputation across the game, and Elias said the organization will continue to build around him despite a season that fell short of its own standards.
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The president of baseball operations also made clear that Albernaz is not the only person expected to examine what went wrong. Elias said there are plenty of strengths in the manager’s work, but the record and the club’s disappointment mean everyone in the organization has a chance to improve.
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Baltimore intends to look outside its own walls for front-office help. Elias was promoted before the 2025 season while keeping the general manager title, and the Orioles considered hiring a GM beneath him last winter without completing a move. This offseason, he indicated that pursuit will be more active.
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The club has titles it can use in seeking permission to speak with executives from other teams, including the general manager position. Elias said the Orioles are a relatively small operation and want to grow, improve and bring in outside talent. Ownership has been involved in those discussions and supports adding personnel.
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Sig Mejdal’s responsibilities are changing as part of that broader review. The assistant general manager will no longer lead the analytics department on a day-to-day basis, though he will retain his title. His focus will shift toward emerging technology and innovative methods throughout baseball operations.
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Mejdal’s new assignment will require more work beyond the club’s own offices: engaging with vendors, visiting organizations and tracking developments that could give the Orioles an edge. Elias described that frontier work as something Mejdal had already handled in a significant way and will now pursue more fully.
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Several executives will receive greater analytics responsibility: senior director of baseball systems and analytics operations Di Zou, director of pro player analytics Ryan Hardin, director of Draft analytics Michael Weis, and director of data science operations Daniel Martin.
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The reshaping may not stop there. Elias said the Orioles remain in the middle of their staffing and hiring cycle and have not ruled out further changes in analytics or elsewhere in the front office. He wants additional high-level input as Baltimore tries to regain its footing in the American League.
A manager stays, while the front office broadens
The Albernaz decision gives Baltimore some continuity in a season that has supplied little of it on the field. The Orioles have slipped to last place in the AL East after the back-to-back playoff seasons, and their 2026 Wild Card chase is close to reaching its final out. Still, Elias did not frame the manager as the lone answer to an underperforming club.
Instead, he pointed toward a wider organizational effort. The Orioles want to hear from people who have helped other teams succeed, and Elias said the club is prepared to pursue those perspectives. The emphasis this fall will be on a larger, stronger baseball operations group rather than a quick fix.
That leaves Baltimore with two parallel tasks over the final week: keep its faint postseason hopes alive, and begin laying down the offseason work needed to make sure this late-September position does not become familiar territory.
