Orioles plan bold front office expansion but already meets surprising resistance

The Baltimore Orioles are suddenly in search of a general manager after news broke on Thursday that Mike Elias was quietly promoted before the season. The plan moving forward is for Elias to serve as the Orioles' president of baseball operations and have a general manager report to him. No less than a day later, the Orioles are already being told no.

MLB Network's Mark Feinsand reports that White Sox assistant GM Josh Barfield was among the early names the Orioles had circled for their GM opening, but they have been told no. Barfield wants to see the rebuild with the White Sox through to the end. Not to mention, with Elias still having the final say in the Orioles' front office, it wouldn't exactly be a change in dynamic for Barfield, who is currently reporting to Chris Getz with the White Sox.

There certainly are jokes to be made that an executive with the team who just last season was the worst in the history of baseball doesn't want to jump ship and join the Orioles, but the White Sox are turning some heads during the second half this season.

Mike Elias might be the problem for the Orioles' front office restructure

The White Sox have played .500 baseball since a 32-65 record in the first half, and with prospects like Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel beginning to put it together, it makes sense that Barfield wants to see the end result of his work. Not to mention, Barfield's candidacy would likely have more shine if the White Sox indeed are able to become a contender in the coming seasons.

Barfield's resistance to interview with the Orioles is early confirmation that Elias could be the reason why Baltimore doesn't land their preferred candidate. If a candidate is going to be interested in leaving their current organization, they will want to make sure they are becoming the top voice in a team's front office. With Elias still in the picture, candidates won't have that opportunity with the Orioles.

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