With the trade deadline pushed back until Aug. 3, Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias is in wait-and-see mode regarding the club’s status as buyer or seller.

He knows what he’d do today.

The Orioles are five games below .500 but only 1 ½ back in the Wild Card. He isn’t ready to specific areas of need, but he made it clear in today’s media session in the home dugout that he’s all-in as the month of June draws to a close.

“I really hope so,” he said of being buyers. “We’re planning that way in case it’s the case. I’m going to have to look at the circumstances and what happens. I will be doing the right thing for the franchise, regardless of everything else. We’re going to have to see what the standings are and what our team is looking like at that time. But we’re certainly making those preparations and everybody in this building is in the mindset of going for it in 2026.”

The American League is mired in mediocrity with only five teams posting winning records, providing further motivation for the Orioles to make a run at a postseason berth.

“Well, look, if the deadline was like today, we’re a game-and-a-half out,” Elias said. “I know our record’s backwards, but apparently this is infecting a whole bunch of other teams, too. I can’t explain it. I wish we were arriving at that at a much different way, and the context around that’s unusual. But we’re right there. So we’re going for it. I’ll let you know if that changes.”

Pitching is a common target area and the Orioles could use bullpen reinforcements. Chris Bassitt’s uncertain status after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur in his back might prompt the team to search for another starter. Zach Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery after one appearance. Two free-agent signings have backfired.

Elias isn’t ready to talk about his shopping list, saying, “I’m not there yet.”

“The deadline isn’t today, and so we do have several more weeks,” he said. “It could evolve. I don’t want to make any proclamations. We got a lot of guys out here still trying to show exactly what they are and what they’re doing this season. I’d like to take more time before diagnosing that.”  

Conceding that the Orioles must be sellers would be a tough look for Elias, who’s received the staunch support of a new ownership group headed by David Rubenstein. Elias indicated that he wouldn’t let job security influence his thinking and method of operation.  

“I feel like, if you’re doing your job well as a general manager, it’s sort of incumbent on you in a position like this, and you’re getting paid, to do the right thing for the baseball operation and the franchise across a very long time horizon as best as you can,” Elias said.

“That definitely would not be any type of factor. … I am very optimistic we’re going to be looking to put this team in a good position for a playoff run.”

The Orioles finished in last place in 2025 and changed managers in May. They’ve operated below .500 this year since the nightcap of an April 30 doubleheader. Their winning streaks haven’t stretched beyond three games.

Elias was asked whether he’s feeling pressure to turn the club around and avoid having to sell again, a not-so-subtle reference to his job status.

“I always feel a lot of pressure in this position,” he replied. “I’ve been in baseball, I think this is my 20th season. Every single year I’ve felt pressure and you worry about your job in this business. So absolutely. But I think we have a really good chance of doing what we want to do and we’re all working very hard and we’re all very optimistic about it.

“Regardless of how we got here, we’re a game-and-a-half out right now and we have everything ahead of us. I think we’re going to be good.”

The confidence still exists while the Orioles are failing again to live up to expectations.

“Yeah, we’re disappointed about that,” Elias said of the losing records. “I think I’ve talked about that at length. I see a lot of talented people in this operation, and it’s not just the players. So we believe in ourselves.

“This is really tough. There are other teams trying to win, too, and it’s not a zero-sum thing, and you’re going to come out on the short end of the stick, and I don’t like that we’re in Year 2 of that, and it’s not right. But I very much believe we’re going to get back on our feet here in the second half and it’s going to get rolling.”

A successful season begins with making the playoffs. Elias emphasized that the finish line is much further, but that’s the first step.

Got to be busy in October before getting a chance to hoist the trophy, which the Orioles haven’t done since 1983.

“That’s the gateway to winning championships,” he said. “Winning a division title is great, but right now we’re not even in the Wild Card, so I think step one is to get ourselves into the Wild Card position. And I think if we get into the playoffs and have a good playoff run, we’ll feel very good about this season.

“You can’t specify exactly what you’re going to do in the playoffs. It’s very hard to do that. But this is a team, if we get in, it means we had a strong second half and I think if we can be relatively healthy going in, it’s going to be a pretty strong team in the playoffs with the players we have.”

Injuries have shredded the roster again, but Adley Rutschman is close to making his return after sustaining a concussion in Seattle. Any speculation about the Orioles dangling their catcher in trade talks grows more absurd by the day.

He isn’t going anywhere unless it’s via free agency, when he’s eligible after the 2027 season.

“He’s been the cornerstone, basically, since I’ve been here, so he’s an enormous part of it,” Elias said. “I wish our commitment was greater than it is. We want him here forever. That’s not something that’s crossed the desk or the agenda. Our focus, first of all, we want to get it back, but we want to win with him here.”

The Orioles broke out another new lineup tonight with catcher Chadwick Tromp batting ninth in his first game back with the club. The top three stays intact with Taylor Ward, Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso. Blaze Alexander moves up to sixth for only the second time this season.

Elias responded to a question about lineup decisions by saying he has no input.

“Our front office doesn’t, either, unless we’re asked for it, which we work very collaborative with Craig (Albernaz) and his staff, and they will ask. But other than that, we don’t get involved in daily stuff,” Elias said.

“I always want the coaches that are close to the clubhouse situation, the health picture, what’s going on if the team’s on the road – and they’re also studying several games ahead, trying to plan out lineups – so we want them to take care of that and they do. We really like working with Alby and his coaching staff. We see a lot of good things in the operation.

“It’s hard for me to pat any of ourselves on the back too hard while we have a losing record, so it’s all stuff that we can be doing to improve. But we think we have really good people here, and we’re happy with this coaching staff. We’re just trying to get everything to gel in the second half better.”