Mike Elias anticipates returning at helm of Orioles and Craig Albernaz will remain for 2027

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President of baseball operations Mike Elias said his working assumption is he will remain atop the Orioles organization, and Elias said Saturday that Craig Albernaz will remain as manager next season.

The Orioles have underperformed this season, sitting in last place in the American League East with a 75-79 record. Unless Baltimore makes a stunning run over the last eight games — and receives help elsewhere — the club will miss the postseason for a second straight season.

While the Orioles have made two changes to their front office and more may come, Elias is operating as the architect.

“Our front office in general, we’re in a position we want to add from the outside this offseason,” Elias said. “We’ve got one of the very smallest baseball operations in the league, and I think we’re at a stage where we’d benefit greatly from outside voices in a number of areas.”

Elias said “my assumption” is that he will retain his position through the offseason and next year.

“It’s a big responsibility kind of stewarding this franchise, and I remain focused on that every day, and what is the best decision for the organization and franchise,” Elias said.

Elias, who began as general manager under Angelos family ownership ahead of the 2019 season, oversaw a long-term plan to bring Baltimore to relevance. Since the ownership group led by David Rubenstein assumed control, Rubenstein has expressed public support for Elias.

When asked Saturday whether that support remains, a spokesperson said “nothing has changed” regarding Rubenstein’s confidence in Elias. “That’s how he continues to feel.”

Still, the Orioles haven’t built on the success of 2023 and 2024. They have gone backward.

That, in part, has led to the changes to the front office. Sig Mejdal is moving from oversight of the analytics department to overseeing emerging technologies and innovative practices. Elias said that was already part of Mejdal’s position but now it will be his full responsibility.

For the time being, the Orioles are leaning on their current stable of staffers in the analytics department to handle those duties. Elias said the Orioles could add to that department, just as they could flesh out the front office at large.

“We want to hear outside perspectives,” Elias said. “There’re a lot of teams having a lot of success, and we want to learn from those people. In terms of hiring, I think we’ve got a very attractive situation right now. We’ve got a team and a farm system with talent. We’ve got owners who are well equipped and looking to grow, and whoever comes in and joins us is going to have their support in a big way.”

Albernaz, meanwhile, will remain in charge for at least another year despite challenges in his first season.

“We’re continuing to build around Craig,” Elias said. “There are a lot of positives to what he brings to the table. I look at where we are, our record, and how we feel we’ve disappointed ourselves this season. I think it means all of us have room to get better and improve, so we’re kind of focused on that.”

A shifting front office

Elias described Baltimore’s front office as one of the smallest in baseball, and that could change this winter. Although he didn’t commit to adding in any particular area, such as at general manager, Elias said multiple titles are open and the Orioles are eager for outside help.

“I want to get some help, some higher-level voices, if we can,” Elias said.

He didn’t close the door on more departures from Baltimore’s current setup, either. This month, Matt Blood, the vice president of player and staff development, left the organization.

“This is the time of year we start looking at staffing and looking at the future and how we’re going to do things next year and how we might do things differently next year,” Elias said. “I had some extensive conversations with [Blood], and we decided the player development space would be appropriate for new leadership going forward. Matt did a lot of great work here, helping to set up our franchise.”

Mejdal’s new position is unique in that he already did many of his new duties, only now it will be his sole responsibility. Elias said the Orioles aren’t shifting away from how much they use analytics. Rather, Mejdal can focus on the cutting edge.

“I don’t think we’re sort of shifting the amount we use advanced information,” Elias said. “I think that’s very common across baseball now. Using analytics is part and parcel of running a team. There’s just a lot of competition for the quality of the information and how it’s designed and presented, and we’re always looking to get better that way.”

Elias described Mejdal’s new role as something they had long discussed. They decided “together” that Mejdal would begin that endeavor this winter.

This includes artificial intelligence, tracking systems and baseball equipment. There are training tools that measure the amount of stress on various parts of an athlete’s body, Elias said. That’s an example of the emerging technologies that Mejdal will seek.

“I’ve seen him kind of find the big new thing a couple of times now, and we need to get better. We want him focused on that,” Elias said. “I think we’re also going to benefit from some fresh management of the rest of the department.”

This article has been updated.