The Baltimore Orioles made a rather surprising move this past weekend, as they fired manager Brandon Hyde. While it makes sense if you look at the record, you can't help but look towards the front office, who didn't do much this offseason to capitalize on the team's championship window. That falls on team owner David Rubenstein and general manager Mike Elias.
After the firing of Hyde, there has been a common occurrence, and that's the lack of comments from both Elias and Rubenstein. One Orioles spokesperson told The Baltimore Sun, "We will provide an update regarding media availability with Mike Elias when we have one." Besides that, the only words the Orioles fanbase has heard from Elias and Rubenstein is the statement they released when they fired Hyde.
For Orioles fans, they want some accountability from Elias, considering he constructed the roster that is struggling early on this season.
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Orioles fans fed up with Mike Elias for lack of accountability for team's struggles
Let's take a look at some of the reactions on social media from Orioles fans, calling out Elias for not speaking to the media and fans over what has been a horrendous start to their season.
The players notably talked to reporters immediately after their 10-6 loss to the Washington Nationals, with the consensus of them saying it's their fault Hyde was fired due to their play so far in the campaign. Yet, Elias and Rubenstein were nowhere to be found.
For years, the Orioles boasted one of the top farm systems in baseball, with the belief being that once all of the top prospects arrived and developed into stars, the team could spend money to take advantage of their championship window. Elias hasn't done that, especially in the last year and a half.
At the trade deadline last year, the Orioles made multiple moves, but none of them were really game-changers. Well, one was, and that was the team trading away infielder Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers to the Miami Marlins for left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers. Now, Stowers looks like a star for the Marlins, while the Orioles outfield struggles mightily.
While Elias does deserve credit for trading for Corbin Burnes ahead of the 2024 season, his plan to replace him was not great. Sure, the Orioles did offer Burnes a four-year, $180 million contract, which he rejected to sign a six-year, $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. This offseason, the Orioles signed Charlie Morton, who owns a 7.68 ERA and a 0-7 win-loss record, and Kyle Gibson, who was designated for assignment after posting a 16.78 ERA after four starts.
Then, there was the Tyler O'Neill signing after he had a bounce-back year with the Boston Red Sox. After giving O'Neill a $45 million deal over three years, the results aren't there, as he's already on his second stint on the injured list. O'Neill recorded a .188 batting average, 27 strikeouts, and nine walks in 80 at-bats (24 games).
While it is the manager's job to get the most out of the team, it's not like Hyde got many resources from Elias to capitalize on their championship window. Fans thought they'd at least hear from Elias to answer some questions from reporters about their moves that have backfired, but thus far, that hasn't been the case.