A Baltimore sports radio host torched Orioles general manager Mike Elias and owner David Rubenstein following the firing of manager Brandon Hyde. Jason La Canfora, host of "Inside Access with Jason La Canfora and Ken Weinman" on 105.7 The Fan, claimed that Elias has "completely brainwashed" Rubenstein.
The Orioles , in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and last place in the American League East with a 15-31 record, dismissed Hyde amid their abysmal start. Baltimore hired Hyde in 2019 during the team's rebuild, and he led the O's to the postseason the previous two seasons. Third-base coach Tony Mansolino has taken over as interim manager.
Baltimore has been the most disappointing team in the league this season. Their pitching staff ranks 29th in ERA at 5.53 — only ahead of the Colorado Rockies — while their offense, expected to be a strength, has yet to produce. The Orioles rank 25th in baseball in runs scored (173) and 22nd in OPS (.686).
The Orioles' front office and ownership failed to upgrade the rotation after Corbin Burnes left for the Arizona Diamondbacks and didn't replace Anthony Santander's bat when he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays .
Baltimore signed starter Charlie Morton , who was demoted to the bullpen after six starts and holds a 7.86 ERA, and outfielder Tyler O'Neill , who has as many home runs as IL stints this season — two. They also inked catcher Gary Sanchez and reliever Andrew Kittredge , both of whom have been consistently injured.
The only signing that has produced any positive results has been Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano .
Meanwhile, All-Stars Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg have underperformed, combining for eight home runs and a .647 OPS. Heston Kjerstad has posted a .612 OPS, and Colton Cowser has appeared in only four games due to a fractured left thumb.
During an appearance on the "Foul Territory" podcast , La Canfora criticized the organization, arguing Elias should have been dismissed alongside Hyde.
"I would've fired him with Brandon Hyde. Why didn't [Rubenstein] just fire him? You're really going to give him another trade deadline?" questioned La Canfora.
He continued: "I'm old enough to remember this owner with the richest people on the planet from Davos, Switzerland, when this offseason, saying, 'Mike Elias is a genius. He convinced me I don't have to spend money. We don't want to win press conferences. Mike's got the next seven years of the American League penciled out, and we're good to go.' I mean, how do I compete with that? He's completely brainwashed."
La Canfora also pointed to struggles throughout the organization's minor league system. After building one of the best farm systems in baseball this decade, the Orioles now have only two top 100 prospects: Samuel Basallo and Coby Mayo .
"Do you want to talk about the fact that the Double-A team has a .314 on-base [percentage]? Do you want to talk about that for a hitting incubator? You want to talk about the High-A team's got a .317 on-base?"
La Canfora called the decision to fire Hyde while retaining the hitting coaches a "charade."
"You think Tony Mansolino is going to fix it? He kept the hitting coaches. I mean, this whole thing is a charade," said La Canfora.
With the Orioles 10 games out of a Wild Card spot and 12 games behind in the AL East race, a third consecutive postseason appearance seems unlikely. Despite their struggles, they do have potential trade pieces in center fielder Cedric Mullins , closer Felix Bautista , and reliever Keegan Akin .
