The Orioles are ready to begin an extensive managerial search at an accelerated pace, with the goal of making a decision as soon as possible, said president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias.

Perhaps the hire comes before a GM is chosen for the front office. The possibility exists, according to Elias. And interim manager Tony Mansolino is going to be counted among the many candidates.

“First of all, understanding the timing, the manner, the context around how Tony got that assignment, and everything that he needed to do and was in front of him and worked through, we think he did a terrific job as the interim manager with that particular assignment in 2025 with where the players were, with where the organization was,” Elias said during today’s press conference.

“I thought he added a lot of value and did a great job with that assignment and I got the chance to work with him much more closely during this and I'm very impressed with him as I've gotten to know him more, and I think he's a very talented guy and has a lot of skills that would add up to a great major league manager now or in the future. I've told him that we are going to utilize the opportunity of having the permanent chair vacant to talk to other people and learn and see who is available, who's interested and figure out who the right fit is for this team for 2026. That process is going to include him and he will be a real candidate, but I expect we are going to talk to other people and we're initiating that process imminently.”

Mansolino took over for Brandon Hyde on May 17 and the Orioles went 60-59, which demonstrated improvement but didn’t get them out of last place. Some jobs are just too big.

He confirmed at today’s press conference that he’s “under consideration,” and expressed confidence in his “good standing here in one form or another.”

“That being said, I also understand the business and know how things kind of go and understand that I might have to wear a different uniform next year,” Mansolino added. “So hopeful to wear the Orioles one, and if that doesn’t work out, obviously gonna have to look around and go from there.”

The uncertainty forces Mansolino to consider outside offers if they come to him, whether in a coaching or instructional capacity. Whether in the majors or minors.

“I would love to be here,” he said. “This is a great place, it’s an historic franchise, it is a place that gave me my first full-time big league job, so ideally I get to stay here in a lot of ways. I’m very comfortable with the people here, I have a lot of respect for the people here. Maybe most importantly, I love a lot of these young players, guys who have been here and grown with myself and also kind of helped raise in a lot of ways here over the last five years.

“So ideally, yeah, I get to stay, but also up close and personal view of this business growing up in it, understanding coaches might have the least job security in the business in a lot of ways, rightfully so or not, and most likely not, you do have to kind of hedge and make sure you’re going to be able to pay your bills and take care of your wife and kids and do the whole deal that is necessary in being a normal human being and not just a coach.”

Being in charge for this length of time didn’t tether Mansolino to the role. He’d hop out of the manager’s chair and settle comfortably into his former set of duties.

“I’d consider anything,” he said.

“Again, there’s a lot of loyalty and there’s a lot of love from me to this organization. They pulled me out of the minor leagues essentially. I was an interim third base coach in Cleveland in 2020 and was likely going back to be the infield coordinator in ’21 and they gave me a shot. So I’m a loyal person, I love this place in a lot of ways, I’m very thankful to it. I’m open to all options, but obviously understand that it’s not just about me. There’s a family at home, and business is business.”

Mansolino might have to sit down for an interview rather than point to his work over the last 4 ½ months. He’s comfortable with it despite some colleagues urging him to decline.

“I’ll do whatever they want me to do,” he said. “I’ve been given advice by people around the league, uniformed staff members that have managed in the big leagues. I’ve had some guys tell me that, ‘If you’re offered an interview, take it.’ Some guys that have (said), ‘If they ask you to interview, don’t do it because you’ve interviewed for the last 4 ½ months.’ I tend to make up my own mind and try to do the right thing based on the people around me and how people treat you.

“This place has treated me incredibly good and I’ll be forever thankful whichever path I go down in the future, so if they want me to come in and interview, and they feel like I’m worthy of it, then I’ll do whatever they want.”

Elias isn’t ready to map out the entire selection process, the “X's and O's,” as he called them, and emphasized that the decision isn't entirely his own. Various members of the ownership group and baseball and business operations, including Catie Griggs, are likely to have a voice in it.

“My experience with these processes, and I've been a part of three in my career, they're broad,” Elias said. “They're thorough. There's a lot of people involved. There's a lot of different aspects to it.”

Having more security would ease one of the biggest burdens that Mansolino operated with in 2025.

“Managing under the interim tag will be the hardest thing I’ll do in my career in a lot of ways,” he said. “In a sense, it is your team, especially after the trade deadline and all the guys that came in. It did start to feel like my team at that point. Up until the trade deadline with the players that were here under the previous leader, it didn’t in a lot of ways, and I think that’s fair. I think people can understand that.

“It’s a challenge. There’s things that you’re going to do under the interim tag. You’re going to come in and make some changes, turn the dials, and there’s things you have to leave alone just because if you turn all the dials that you want to turn, it’s going to upset the room and it’s going to change the culture in a lot of ways, and maybe in some ways that you don’t want. Huge challenge in a lot of ways, thankful I got to do it, would do it again in a heartbeat, especially here, especially with the support that Mike and his crew and his lieutenants gave me throughout.”

Elias spoke about the importance of the manager having past experience, which doesn’t hurt Mansolino’s cause as long as length and track record aren’t vital. Elias described it as “overwhelmingly usually a big positive.”

“In our particular situation, I think it will definitely carry a lot of weight,” he said. “But if you look at history, it is not a requisite for managerial success and it's not necessary and nor does it guarantee success. It'll all be weighed in the portfolio of the candidate and there are other perceived strengths and areas of lacking. We'll just look at the whole picture and the person and try to decide who's best for us right now. But you know, experience would definitely be an attractive feature by and large."

The search isn’t going to drag. Elias’ plate is full and he needs to clear this one from it. And any delays could impact the chances of landing a preferred candidate.

"ASAP for the manager,” he said. “I’ve got a very busy offseason ahead of me. A lot of player business, as usual, but a lot of player business this offseason and a lot of hiring. And then also, we tend to lose people to other organizations. So we have a lot in front of us, and getting the manager in as early as possible. I also think we'll have competition on the managerial market this year. So ASAP there.”

Lacking the same urgency in hiring a GM is based on having more time to conduct a thorough search.

"I think it's pressing for us to get better as a front office, to bolster, to continue to evolve, learn about best practices, get talent in,” Elias said. “It's just that position. That's not something I'm going to force on a certain timetable, and it's going to have to be right."

As for the coaching staff, one day after the final out of the season is much too early for Elias to commit. And that includes the future of senior advisor John Mabry.

“I thought he was a great addition to our staff,” Elias said. “I think he provided a lot of baseball insight and a presence that was very helpful in stabilizing our season. I mean, our season got better. It wasn’t what it really needed to be or should be in the second half, but I do feel like we stabilized in a good way and had some positive developments over the second half of the season, and John was a great contributor to that and we’ve all really enjoyed working with him.

“I never use this press conference the day after the season ends, it’s not even October yet, to announce any type of personnel moves, whether that’s scouting, coaching, front office, anywhere in the organization. I just don’t think that’s fair. So we’ll see how the pieces come together and what happens over the next couple weeks, but that’s all pressing business for our front office, as it always is after a season.”