Elias addressed a variety of topics as the team heads into its offseason after an early postseason exit.
Whether we like it or not, it’s October 3 and the season is over for the Orioles. That means press conference time for the guy in charge of the team. GM Mike Elias delivered on this expectation on Thursday afternoon with some post-mortem remarks on the 2024 team.
The top headline from the presser is that Brandon Hyde is coming back as the manager for next season. With the team having made a swift exit from the postseason in each of the past two seasons, it wouldn’t exactly have been a shock if the Orioles chose to look in a different direction. Sometimes, a symbolic change is the kind of thing that can spark an improved outcome. There are more than a few people across Birdland who think now was the time to do it.
Coming out of the truly grim tanking years, Elias showed faith in Hyde by keeping him even as the team’s fortunes improved and at least for one more season he’s giving Hyde the chance to take the team farther than they have gotten so far.
The rest of the coaching staff did not receive the same vote of confidence from Elias. The Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer noted that on that topic, Elias said it was too soon to be thinking about that, and that over the course of the offseason he will be looking at what can be improved in the organization.
I’m not on the fire Hyde train, but I think that some different hitting coach messages may be important to the team achieving more than it has done. Elias’s remarks did specifically touch on disappointing offense in the second half of the season. If the answer was easy, they would have solved that problem by now. I think it’s safe to say that energy will be spent continuing to look for that answer over the offseason. Roster movement is locked up for the rest of October, but the team can certainly determine if it wants all of its coaches to return over this next month.
On Adley Rutschman
None of Rutschman, Hyde, or Elias have ever acknowledged any specific physical issue with Rutschman that would explain his post-June dropoff. That continued through Thursday’s presser, with Elias specifically stating that there was no particular physical issue with Rutschman beyond the typical load carried by catchers.
I haven’t believed anyone who’s said this up until now and I still don’t, but the fact remains it’s what he said. I do think Rutschman’s remarks following Wednesday’s loss allude to something even if he didn’t specify what “let your body get right” meant.
Whatever went into it, Elias said of Rutschman that “He’s our guy” and expressed confidence that Rutschman will bounce back into a better version of himself for the 2025 season.
On injured players returning
According to Elias, each of Félix Bautista, Jorge Mateo, and Grayson Rodriguez are expected to be back in time for spring training next year. In true Elias fashion, there is a little bit of wiggle room here, as you will note if you click through to the tweet that it says “more or less.”
With Bautista having had Tommy John surgery about exactly a year ago, the expected recovery time would certainly have him ready for next February. Rodriguez was on the road to recovery for his lat injury by season’s end, just without enough time to ramp back up to game-ready. He should certainly be lined up at the start of next spring training, too.
It could be a tighter timetable for Mateo, if he experiences any setbacks in his own recovery. The fact that Mateo’s injury is to his non-throwing elbow and that he is a position player should lead to a reduced recovery time compared to if a pitcher had needed the same surgery.
On the payroll
The direct quote summed up by multiple reporters is that Elias said he’s “pretty confident” that the team’s payroll will go up next season.
I’ve learned my lesson about Elias in this area. This does not mean that the Orioles will go out and sign multiple substantial free agents, or even one. The next time that Elias gives out more than one guaranteed year to any player will be the first time.
It’s entirely possible that January will roll around and then Elias is talking about how arbitration raises to the team’s currently 15 arbitration-eligible players are what is increasing the payroll. Dan Duquette, a much less savvy communicator, pulled this same move before Elias. That wouldn’t even be untrue. That’s estimated as a $51.5 million expense right now. Plus, he only said “pretty confident.”
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There is nothing that Elias did say, or could have said, to make anybody feel better about the Orioles losing on Tuesday and Wednesday. No one can do much of anything to make that better until Opening Day 2025. It’s a long time to sit with the disappointment.