Mike Elias' quiet promotion should have Orioles fans asking what the team is hiding

For a team that has been dubbed as one of the biggest disappointments of the 2025 MLB season and fired their manager before the end of May, Baltimore Orioles' general manager Mike Elias has been acting like a man who knows he won't be going anywhere at the end of the season. Not that Elias' job was ever in question, to the disappointment of Orioles' fans, but it turns out he wasn't even serving as the team's general manager this season.

Multiple reports, including from Ken Rosenthal and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, confirmed that Elias was promoted before the start of the season. Elias is now serving as the president of baseball operations for the Orioles, and the team is expected to hire a new general manager this offseason.

This certainly isn't the news many Orioles fans were hoping to see as the end of the season nears. Elias' roster construction before this season has led many to believe that he is incapable of correcting the ship this offseason. Now, Elias has gained more authority in an Orioles front office that will be restructured this winter.

Orioles just gave Mike Elias a quiet promotion that raised some eyebrows

The timing of the news leak is certainly curious, considering the regional rival of the Orioles, the Washington Nationals, have made headlines for making progress in their search for a new general manager. Carter Hawkins of the Chicago Cubs, Josh Byrnes of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Amiel Sawdae of the Arizona Diamondbacks are the leading candidates for the Nationals' opening.

There could be some crossover with who the Orioles plan to interview this offseason, but in Hawkins' case, it's worth pointing out that it would be a lateral move since he already reports to a president of baseball operations. Not that Hawkins should be a serious candidate for an Orioles team that needs to be aggressive this offseason.

Regardless, it's not an ideal start for the Orioles' offseason. Elias has become a polarizing figure in Baltimore, and his promotion raises more questions than it does answers. If one wanted to give the Orioles the benefit of the doubt, it could be a good thing that there will be a new voice in the team's front office. However, even the new ownership group may have lost the luxury of having the benefit of the doubt.

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