The first managerial hire for Mike Elias in December 2018 presented Brandon Hyde with his first opportunity in the majors after serving as a coach and working in a variety of roles in the minors. He was tasked with guiding the Orioles, coming off a 115-loss season, through a painful rebuild and back into contention. Deficiencies in the roster were part of the inheritance.

The second managerial hire for Elias has given Craig Albernaz his first chance in the majors after serving as a coach and associate manager and working in a variety of roles in the minors. He’s tasked with orchestrating an immediate turnaround from last place to the playoffs. Anything less is unacceptable.

A daunting task? Anyone who’s familiar with Albernaz’s ascension from non-drafted catcher to his current post is confident that he’s ready for the challenge, that he’s absolutely the right man for the job.

Mitch Lukevics was on the ground floor as Tampa Bay’s farm director for 14 seasons. The Rays needed a catcher in camp after an unexpected retirement. Lukevics phoned scouting director R.J. Harrison, who was at a showcase with one of his Florida scouts. Albernaz played at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg and got a recommendation that seemed to come out of nowhere.

“Let’s go, sign him up,” Lukevics said.

The hiring is official.

Craig Albernaz is the 21^st manager in Orioles history, with the announcement coming early this afternoon.

News broke late last night that the club was finalizing a deal with Albernaz, who spent the 2024 season as Guardians bench coach and 2025 as associate manager.

“We are elated to welcome Craig Albernaz as the next manager of the Orioles and our leader on the field,” president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias said in a statement. “Craig has built an exemplary career across multiple successful organizations and brings a tremendous amount of experience, knowledge, and talent to our organization and to this new challenge. We believe he is the right person at the right time to elevate our baseball operations and guide our team back to the playoffs and a World Series championship.”

A big leap is required after the Orioles finished in last place this season with a 75-87 record following back-to-back playoff appearances.

The only Orioles player moves this month were made last Monday when they signed left-handers Scarling Sterling and Christian Rojas to minor league contracts. The deals didn’t appear on the transactions page until the weekend.

Sterling was assigned to “Purple-South” in the MLB amateur scouting league in the Dominican Republic on May 5. That’s the extent of the results found in my research.

Meanwhile, Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz is going to be hired as the next manager, with an announcement likely to come later in the week. That will have to do.

The choice of Albernaz after a search that didn’t take a full month – the Orioles were serious about making a decision ASAP – provides an answer to the question of who’s following interim manager Tony Mansolino, whether he’d get the full-time job and whether experience was really important.

Among the questions I’ve posed in recent weeks, besides wondering about the manager, involve cramming five starters into the rotation, who bats first, who’s in center field, does Tyler O’Neill homer again on Opening Day, will some starters be on innings limits, what happens to Albert Suárez, and if any starters could move to the bullpen.

Any business conducted by the Orioles this month is mostly done behind closed doors with limited or no information available, especially interviews for the managerial position. The process was advancing, but very quietly.

It's almost finished. The secrecy has broken apart.

A source confirmed this afternoon that the Orioles interviewed Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz for the job and expected him to be hired. Multiple reports tonight have the Orioles finalizing a deal with Albernaz, who will inherit a team that went 75-87 and sat in the cellar of the American League East.

Albernaz will become the 21st manager in Orioles history, not counting interims, since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954. He was Cleveland's bench coach in 2024 before earning a promotion. The Massachusetts native was a finalist for the managing job that went to Stephen Vogt.

The Washington Post reported that Albernaz interviewed for the Nationals job within the last week. So did Brandon Hyde, hired by the Orioles in December 2018 and fired in May after back-to-back playoff appearances. Hyde was a two-time Sporting News Manager of the Year in the American League before the Orioles tumbled into last place this season.

The World Series moves from Toronto to Los Angeles, and neutral fans should be hoping for a Game 7 because it’s the best thing in sports. Doesn’t matter whether we’re talking MLB, NBA or NHL. The drama is intoxicating.

Speaking of which, let’s raise a glass to Trey Mancini and Sara Perlman on the birth of their daughter Sadie Mila. Good things happening to good people.

I’ll drink to that.

I’d celebrate having some real news to report. Updates on the manager search are scarce. The Orioles operate quietly. Leaks so far have been just a few drips.

I’m flooded with more questions, so time to drain the mailbag again for the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

The conversation surrounding Grayson Rodriguez was supposed to have a much different tone.

The Orioles made Rodriguez the 11^th overall selection in the 2018 draft and finally introduced him to the majors in 2023 after a lat injury the previous summer put his debut on hold. Another injury, this one to Kyle Bradish after being struck on the right foot by a comebacker, opened the door.

It’s slammed shut too many times.

There was a demotion after a May 26, 2023 start against the Rangers, when Rodriguez allowed nine runs, eight of them earned, and surrendered three homers in 3 1/3 innings to raise his ERA to 7.35. He returned in July, made 13 starts and posted a 2.58 ERA. Seven of those starts were quality, including his eight scoreless innings against the Rays on Sept. 16.

He held the Padres to one run in seven innings in San Diego, and the White Sox to one hit in six scoreless at Camden Yards. He looked like the anticipated ace, the No. 1 starter and No. 1 reason why Mike Elias said the cupboard wasn’t bare when the Orioles hired him as executive vice president/general manager.

The first few weeks of the offseason also exist so various outlets can begin ranking free agents and trying to match them with prospective teams.

MLB.com published its top 30 this week, headed by outfielder Kyle Tucker, third baseman Alex Bregman and outfielder/designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. The Orioles have three free agents – pitchers Zach Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano and catcher Gary Sánchez - and none made the rankings. Eflin was listed among the 11 honorable mentions, which also included Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn.

The Orioles are interested in obtaining at least one starting pitcher, which can be done via free agency or a trade, and multiple relievers. They can sift through some in-house options but have too many holes to fill to operate solely from within. They also will try to strengthen the lineup with a proven hitter, and the outfield seems like the only area with room.

The site lists the Orioles among “possible fits” for five of the 30 players: Starter Dylan Cease (10^th), closer Edwin Díaz (14^th), closer Robert Suarez (17^th), starter Jack Flaherty (22^nd) and starter Chris Bassitt (28^th). Diáz would have to opt out of the final two years of his contract. Suarez would have to decline his $8 million options for the next two seasons. Flaherty has a $20 million option in his contract, and he did nothing to impress the Orioles during his half-season in 2023.

Perhaps only three teams are allowed to be attached to each free agent. If the above names make sense for the Orioles, so do outfielder Cody Bellinger (No. 5), though a right-handed bat might fit better, starter/reliever Michael King (No. 8), left-handed starter Framber Valdez (No. 9), left-handed starter Ranger Suárez (No. 11), starter Zac Gallen (No. 18), starter Shane Bieber (No. 20), reliever Devin Williams (No. 21), reliever Ryan Heisley (No. 26) and starter Lucas Giolito (No. 29).

The American League Silver Slugger finalists will be announced later this morning, with the winners revealed on Nov. 7. The Orioles were shut out in Rawlings Gold Glove nominations. Do they get blanked again today?

Outfielder Anthony Santander won a Silver Slugger last year. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg (utility) also were finalists but lost to Bobby Witt Jr. and Josh Smith, respectively.

Henderson won it as a utility player in 2023. Catcher Adley Rutschman also received the award.

Injuries and underproduction remove an obvious choice for the Orioles this year.

The Angels’ Zach Neto led AL shortstops with 26 home runs, followed by the Red Sox’s Trevor Story with 25 and Witt with 23. Story was first in RBIs with 96, followed by the Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette (18 homers) with 94 and Witt with 88. Witt slugged .501 and Bichette .483. Witt was first in hits with 184, followed by Bichette with 181, Story with 161 and Henderson with 158.

The Blue Jays finished in last place in 2024 and are headed to the World Series. They were the top seed in the American League, just like the Orioles in 2023.

The Orioles slipped to the top Wild Card the following year and all the way into the division basement this summer. They won 75 games, one more than Toronto in 2024.

Should parallels be paraded to fans praying for a prolific bounce back next season?

Payroll disparities can’t be ignored – the Blue Jays at almost $242 million on Opening Day and the Orioles at around $164 million.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed an extension in April for $500 million over 14 years and he was named Most Valuable Player in the Championship Series. George Springer signed a six-year, $150 million free-agent contract in January 2021 and his three-run homer in the seventh inning in Game 7 propelled the Blue Jays into the World Series.

Stephen King wrote a novel in 1979 entitled “The Dead Zone” that became a movie four years later and a television series in the early 2000s. No one had October in mind for baseball’s non-playoff teams, but it applied.

Just sub out Christopher Walken for Christian Walker.

But this is about the Orioles.

A manager wasn’t going to be hired this quickly, but I’ve counted one confirmed interview, Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas, whose brother Felipe Alou Jr. has worked in a variety of roles in the Orioles’ organization. Rojas managed the Mets for two seasons.

Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols reportedly has drawn interest from the Orioles, but that’s it. They like the idea of interviewing him.

I’m going to continue taking my turn asking questions, knowing that the correct answer is unattainable this early in the offseason.

It’s also another chance to veer away from the constant chatter about a new manager, which is lacking anything concrete beyond reports that Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas interviewed for the job.

Here are two more.

Who’s the center fielder on Opening Day?

This is a new question because Cedric Mullins spent parts of eight seasons with the Orioles and played center in 791 games.

Questions linger for the Orioles beyond their managerial search and whether they hire a general manager this winter.

Should they have matched the Dodgers’ 10-year, $700 million offer for Shohei Ohtani?

OK, maybe not that one.

Here are three randomly chosen inquiries, with many more to come.

How will the Orioles jam their starters into a five-man rotation?

Joe Flacco, age 40, outdueled 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers Thursday night in Cincinnati. The Blue Jays’ Max Scherzer, at age 41 and making the 500^th start of his career, earned the win in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series in Seattle.

My mailbag is 17, old enough to drive but not to drink. The fluctuating weight is normal. You fill it and I try to empty it.

Here’s my latest attempt. No editing, no disclaimers about editing. You ask, I answer, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

Also, and this is important, my mailbag stretches singles into doubles and your mailbag stretches the truth.

Your thoughts on Albert Pujols as the manager? I am starting to warm to the idea. Keep Robinson Chirinos as bench coach.
I’m lukewarm to the idea of Pujols as manager, but maybe that’s just my personality. I also think it isn’t happening. Pujols has managed in the Dominican Republic, so he isn’t entirely new to the job. However, if major league experience isn’t important, the Orioles could just bring back Tony Mansolino, who has the advantage of his previous interim status and familiarity with the organization. Or they could hire Ryan Flaherty, who’s worked in a variety of roles, including Cubs bench coach. He’s also a big analytics guy. The Orioles are making it tough to project what they’ll do because their requirements are so broad. Experience is “overwhelmingly usually a big positive,’ as Mike Elias described it, and will carry a lot of weight. But it’s not a requisite for success. I don’t know if anyone constitutes a sure thing in his business, but other candidates would qualify more than a first-timer, which makes someone like Pujols a gamble to a team that must win.

We’ve reached the point in the offseason when we still don’t know who’s playing in the World Series, we don’t know who’s managing the Orioles and we don’t know how far along they’ve gotten in the interview process beyond a couple of reports linking them to Luis Rojas and Albert Pujols.

Rojas had an interview. Pujols might get an interview.

Ryan Flaherty might be among the favorites or he might not.

Here are a few facts from the 2025 season, on another slow day, that we do know:

* The Orioles posted a .235 average this year, 24^th in the majors, compared to .255 in 2023 and .250 in 2024 – seasons that concluded with a division title and the first Wild Card, respectively.

A last-place season isn’t going to bring many rewards. Heartaches, yes, but not rewards.

The Rawlings Gold Glove finalists were announced yesterday and the Orioles suffered another shutout.

Third baseman Ramón Urías was the last Orioles winner in 2022, which ended a six-year drought. Eighteen different players have earned a total of 72 awards since its creation in 1957.

First baseman Ryan Mountcastle and left fielder Colton Cowser were American League finalists last year. Mountcastle was a repeat finalist but went 0-for-2.

Catcher Adley Rutschman and left fielder Austin Hays also were finalists in 2023. Center fielder Cedric Mullins was a finalist in 2022 and right fielder Anthony Santander in 2020.

No matter what roster moves are completed in the offseason, the Orioles won’t go far unless their core group makes the necessary strides. You heard it before and will again. Help must come from within.

Theories are floated on why some players regressed, whether it’s the individuals or the messaging. The problem is much harder to fix without knowing the answer. 

There could be more than one.

Asked at his season-ending press conference how much of a priority he’s placing on offensive improvement, president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias said, “When you have a season that misses the mark by this much, there’s a lot on the list of what went wrong. But certainly, that was amongst the most, I don’t know if I want to say ‘surprising,’ but kind of fundamental, that a lot of our core drafted players that have formed the spine of not only this winning team the last few years, but the rebuild leading into it, most of them were hurt or had down years or stagnating in some form or fashion, and it’s definitely concerning to watch it happen and concerning to watch it happen to a lot of them simultaneously.”

“We have talked a lot with them individually about it. I think all of us in the org, there’s a lot of soul searching and looking in the mirror individually what could each of us have done better to get a better result for the team, and that definitely applies to those guys. We’ve talked about it. We’re formulating plans. And we’re going to do everything that we can to kind of have them bounce back and get back on track.

Orioles 22-year-old minor league left-hander Luis De León pitched at three levels of the farm system this year, was selected for the Arizona Fall League and didn’t miss a beat.

De León, the 21^st-ranked prospect in the organization per MLB Pipeline, allowed an unearned run and one hit in four innings in his first AFL start with the Peoria Javelinas. He also struck out seven batters.

De León climbed from Class A Delmarva to High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Chesapeake, making three starts with the Baysox and allowing only three earned runs and striking out 24 in 16 innings. Overall, he posted a 3.30 ERA in 20 games this year, struck out 107 in 87 1/3 innings and didn’t surrender a home run.

A scout from outside the organization has watched De León multiple times, including the AFL start, and described him as “really exciting.”

“Really good (stuff),” he said. “Good fastball, a good slider, the changeup’s coming. Kind of gave him a chance at being a bottom-of-the-rotation type arm with upside. I think he’s gonna have to develop a fourth pitch, but he’s only 22.”

The Orioles will need to show improvement in many areas next season, the only way to pull themselves out of the division cellar. It isn’t just pitching and it isn’t just hitting. It isn’t just the constant injuries that forced almost daily roster moves.

The 70 different players used were one short of the major league record set this year by the Braves, who started former Oriole Charlie Morton in their final regular season game. The 41 pitchers came within one of the American League record shared by the 2021 Orioles and 2019 Mariners. The 34 position players tied the franchise record set in 1955.

Even the seven catchers were unprecedented.

Everywhere you looked, the Orioles were doing something unusual. And it isn’t bragging rights when it happens for the wrong reasons.

Here’s another one:

Ramón Urías appeared in 506 games with the Orioles over parts of six seasons. He played every position in the infield. Both of his managers praised his versatility and those stretches when he seemed like the only hot hitter in the lineup.

The trade deadline got him, too. Though under team control through 2026, Urías was dealt to the Astros for Class A pitcher Twine Palmer.

The roster priorities begin with pitching, both the rotation and bullpen, but the Orioles probably will check on infielders who can replicate Urías’ glove work. Jorge Mateo has a $5.5 million option in his contract that they could decline. Luis Vázquez has a great defensive reputation at shortstop but is 9-for-62 in the majors. His biggest contribution came on the mound with four scoreless relief appearances over 4 1/3 innings.

Jeremiah Jackson was head and shoulders above the other two, which got his foot in the door for 2026. He batted .276/.328/.447 with 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 21 RBIs in 48 games, but he doesn’t really fit the utility profile because his starts came at third base and in right field. He’s also made starts at shortstop and second base and in left and center field in the minors, but the Orioles don’t envision that kind of movement from him.

If the Orioles can’t make room on the roster for Jackson and a super-utility player, they could bank of the versatility of other infielders for coverage. Interim manager Tony Mansolino didn’t think that Jackson had to play shortstop in order to break camp with the team. They have backups, including Jackson Holliday, who handled the position while Gunnar Henderson was on the injured list.

The Orioles have a full 40-man roster that’s going to experience a significant shuffling of players.

A typical offseason.  

Pitchers Félix Bautista, Grayson Rodriguez and Brandon Young will come off the 60-day injured list. Pitcher Zach Eflin and catcher Gary Sánchez also are on the 60-day but will become free agents after the World Series.

Pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano also is a pending free agent. Infielder Jorge Mateo ($5.5 million) and reliever Dietrich Enns ($3 million) have team options in their contracts that could be declined. Fourteen players are eligible for arbitration and a few are candidates to be non-tendered, including first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, outfielder Dylan Carlson and reliever José Castillo.

Here’s the current 40-man: