Mike Elias just said the quiet part out loud about Orioles’ player development

During the Baltimore Orioles' struggles, Mike Elias has found himself as the target of some understandable criticism this season. His handling of the Orioles' pipeline has been inconsistent at best. Elias' complete unwillingness to trade from that prospect depth is, at times, maddening. Unfortunately, Elias' latest comments are not likely to quiet those doubts anytime soon.

Orioles fans have been pleading for the organization to call up Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers. Basallo and Beavers have both been showing out in the minors for a while now, and given the team's struggles, it's baffling that Baltimore hasn't called up either player — though service time and Prospect Promotion Incentive could be at play.

Elias was asked over the weekend why the team hasn't promoted either prospect, and his response was very telling.

Mike Elias’ prospect comments expose Orioles’ same old mistakes

"They are both having tremendous Triple-A seasons so that’s to be expected. I understand that, as we’ve had a lot of injuries and vacancies after the trade deadline, it kind of brings the conversation a little more to the forefront," Elias said. "But we sold at the deadline and as [interim manager Tony Mansolino has] been saying, we’re kind of in player development mode, so we don’t want to rush anything player development-wise because of a panic over major league need."

Elias acknowledges that both prospects have been playing well in the minors, and that the injuries and departures Baltimore has dealt with would seem to create some opportunities. However, the team still hasn't promoted them, and is instead trying to sell this decision as "player development" based. This was the thinking when the Orioles were still hanging around in playoff contention and could have still turned their season around? Color us skeptical.

The second quote was the most revealing. The Baltimore Banner asked if rookie eligibility or other rules regarding service time were a consideration in keeping Basallo and Beavers down in the minors.

“I think we have to be aware of the rules and, in general, systems that are in place that benefit players and benefit organizations," Elias said. "You just kind of hope that that stuff synchronizes well with whatever the baseball need or player development need is. So it’s something that takes a back burner to baseball decisions.”

Sorry Orioles fans, but the days of aggressive promotions akin to the likes of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and even Jackson Holliday (the latter remaining a bad idea even now) are over.

What Elias' comments made clear is that Baltimore is just good enough that reverting to extracting as much service time as possible is more important than winning now. That can work, but at some point, the Orioles have to push in their chips and try. It doesn't sound like Elias is going to be doing that anytime soon.

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