Orioles Fire Manager Brandon Hyde

The Orioles announced that manager Brandon Hyde has been fired.  Third base coach Tony Mansolino will become the interim manager, while the coaching staff was further shaken up since Major League field coordinator and catching instructor Tim Cossins was also let go.

“Brandon Hyde is someone I have come to know and deeply admire, not only for his extensive knowledge of baseball, but also for his exceptional leadership as a manager,” Orioles owner David Rubenstein said in the club’s official media statement.  “I am sincerely grateful for his significant accomplishments over the past six years, which have greatly benefited both the Orioles and the city of Baltimore.  However, as is sometimes the case in baseball, change becomes necessary, and we believe this is one of those moments. The Orioles organization is truly appreciative of everything Brandon has contributed during his tenure, and we wish him nothing but success in whatever path he chooses next in the world of baseball.  Brandon is a man of great character, and we thank him for his dedication and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Today’s news would’ve seemed hard to fathom two months ago, when the O’s entered the 2025 season again looking like a strong contender to reach the playoffs for the third year in a row.  Unfortunately, Baltimore has been perhaps the biggest disappointment in baseball this year, as the team stumbled out of the blocks to a 15-28 record.  Of the four teams with 15 or fewer victories this season, three have already changed managers within the last two weeks, as Hyde’s dismissal comes on the heels of the Pirates firing Derek Shelton and the Rockies firing Bud Black.

Hyde was initially hired as the Orioles’ skipper during the 2018-19 offseason, soon after Mike Elias was hired as the club’s new general manager.  The duo became the faces of the extensive, multi-year rebuild project that took the O’s through three dismal losing seasons in 2019-21 before Baltimore made a somewhat surprisingly early return to competitive baseball by posting an 83-79 record in 2022.  That winning season was the harbinger for the Orioles’ AL East title and a 101-win season in 2023, as Baltimore reached the 100-win threshold for just the sixth time in franchise history.  That huge year was followed up with 91 wins and a wild card berth in 2024.

More to come…