Last year's Nationals could be the blueprint for how the Orioles can rebound from a disappointing season

As the embarrassing losses pile up and the Baltimore Orioles drift further and further away from a playoff spot, it appears overwhelmingly likely that for the second year in a row, the Orioles are going to begin the season as playoff contenders and end up as deadline sellers. The fact that this is happening for a second year in a row and that in both seasons the Orioles' downfall can be directly tied to their front office ignoring their biggest roster need (pitching) should be a stinging indictment of President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias and his whole front office.

Elias and his group have now been in control of the Orioles for eight years, with the arrow firmly pointing down over the last three seasons. Over the past two offseasons in particular, Elias has demonstrated a distinct inability to build a pitching staff capable of competing in the AL East. It's been obvious for years that's what they've most needed, and at every turn he has either refused to address that need or tried to address it and failed.

The Orioles don't need to let their failed front office make any more important decisions

Whether Elias can't build a pitching staff because he doesn't think it's important or because he's just not good at negotiating with free agents or working out trades where he isn't getting back prospects at this point, it doesn't matter. The sample size is large enough to determine that it's not going to get better with him in charge.

That being the case, the Orioles would be best off getting rid of Elias before he runs the draft and the trade deadline. The draft and the trade deadline are two of the most important opportunities for a team to add talent on the calendar, and allowing someone with eight years of experience at failing at acquiring pitching to be in charge of those two marquee events would be a wasted opportunity.

Firing your POBO just weeks ahead of the draft and the deadline might sound extreme and potentially dangerous, but last year the Washington Nationals did exactly that, and a year later their outlook is remarkably improved after years of wandering around in the wilderness under Mike Rizzo.

Last year, the Nationals were working on their sixth straight losing season since winning the World Series and, halfway through the season, decided that they had lost faith in Rizzo. They then had the follow-up revelation that if we don't want Rizzo to be in charge of the team after this season, then why would we want him to be in charge of two of the most important parts of the season, and fired him on July 6th.

It was a bold move, and they were criticized for it, but everything that's happened since indicates that it was the right move. This time last year, the Nationals were one of the worst teams in baseball, and many informed media members speculated that they would have to flip the players they had gotten in the Juan Soto trade for more prospects and start another rebuild before their last rebuild ever amounted to anything. Now they're one of the most exciting teams in baseball, in large part because people believe in the new front office they brought in to replace Rizzo.

Mike Rizzo was a World Series winning executive, and the Nationals decided they didn't want him running their draft and deadline and fired him. Mike Elias has won absolutely nothing in eight years; the Orioles would not be out of pocket for firing him before he has another chance to draft nothing but position players and get nothing but high-A relievers at the deadline.

This Orioles team has an excellent foundation on which a competent front office could easily build a playoff contender. The current front office has proven they don't know how to do that, and the Orioles should pivot away from them before they have a chance to take another step in the wrong direction.

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