MLB insider speculates on Cal Ripken Jr. making unexpected power move with Orioles

Cal Ripken Jr is a baseball legend and a Baltimore sports icon. When it was announced that he was a part of the group buying the Orioles in 2024, fans were understandably very excited that Ripken Jr. would be around the team more and have a say in some of the important baseball conversations that are always happening behind the scenes. Over the past few years, Ripken Jr. has been in some promotional videos and has been seen several times sitting with David Rubenstein, but there has not been much reporting on exactly what his influence has been.  

Yesterday, ESPN insider Buster Olney floated out an idea that would take Ripken Jr.'s role from vague and mysterious to extremely forward-facing. On his Twitter account, Olney said the following:

"To this point, there's no indication that Cal Ripken seeks a significant role in the Orioles' organization. But if he ever wants an opportunity to make over a franchise in a way he wants, this would be the time for him to make his move. If ownership wants instant credibility with its fan base, handing Ripken the reins would be the fastest route."

POBO Cal Ripken Jr. is a fun a idea, but a bad one

The idea that the Orioles need to move on from President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias is not unique to Olney. As the Orioles have steadily plummeted to the bottom of the AL East, the cries for Elias' job have only grown louder. However, he is certainly the first to publicly suggest that it be Ripken Jr. who "takes the reins".

Olney is correct that the Orioles need a new hand at the helm, and putting Ripken Jr. in charge would make for a great headline and a great press conference, but he is not the one for that job.

Since Ripken Jr.'s playing career ended, he's done a lot of things. He made a video game, he's been involved in numerous charities and philanthropic efforts, and he's owned a few minor league teams as well as some youth sports complexes. One notable thing that he has not done is work in an MLB front office.

The Orioles are at a crossroads. Their high picks from their tanking years are nearing the end of their rookie contracts. If they want to make something out of this era of Orioles baseball and not let it slip through their fingers, they need someone experienced who knows how to pull all the different levers that a GM has at their disposal.

They cannot afford to have Ripken Jr. learn on the job and possibly miss out on moves the Orioles need to make simply because he doesn't know to make them, or maybe even worse, making moves he doesn't need to make that can't be reversed.

Let the San Francisco Giants be a cautionary tale in this aspect. They put one of their franchise legends in the POBO seat, and he's done nothing but load up the books with old expensive mediocrity players in his first attempt to "win now". Now the Giants are the worst team in baseball, and they have no choice but to take their medicine and stay that way until they can get rid of the pack of albatross contracts weighing them down.

If the Giants chose to stick with Posey, he may one day be a good POBO, but a Hall of Fame playing career does not prepare you for what it takes to run a Major League Baseball team. If the Orioles handed the reins over to Ripken Jr., chances are he'd make multiple irreparable mistakes before finding his groove, and the Orioles just can't afford that.

Hopefully, when the Orioles decide to hand the reins over to a new President of Baseball Operations, they will choose someone with a lot of experience working in the kind of front office the Orioles would like to emulate.

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