Orioles should probably consult Mets fans before making looming managerial mistake

With more teams being eliminated and beginning their offseason, the Baltimore Orioles have moved to the interview stage of their managerial search. The list of potential candidates remains exhaustive, but in one of the first interviews, the Orioles met with current New York Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas.

The Orioles are one of the few teams with a manager vacancy that could return to contention as early as next season. While the sudden San Diego Padres' opening could impact the Orioles' search, they still should have their pick of top candidates.

Rojas doesn't fall into that category. Some fans may have forgotten the fact that Rojas was the manager of the New York Mets from 2020 through 2021. Rojas posted a 26-34 record with the Mets in his first season, and followed that up with a 77-85 record in 2021. No surprise, the Mets failed to reach the playoffs in either season.

Rojas appeared to be one of the ascending managerial candidates at the time that he took the Mets' job, but his profile was certainly damaged after those dreadful two seasons. Since then, Rojas has been serving under Aaron Boone with the Yankees, and it seems like they wouldn't miss him if he were to take the job with the Orioles.

Orioles’ manager plan has disaster written all over it — just ask Mets fans

Entering the offseason, Orioles fans had little faith that Mike Elias was the right executive to correct the failure that was the 2025 season. Under normal circumstances, if Elias was going to keep his job, he would be on the hot seat. Instead, Elias has been given more power with his promotion to the Orioles' President of Baseball Operations. The Orioles are planning on hiring a general manager this winter, but the indication is that Elias will have the final say on who the manager will be.

Hiring an underwhelming candidate like Rojas would suggest that Elias is afraid to be challenged from within the organization. If that fear is what is dictating the search for Brandon Hyde's replacement, that almost certainly will result in a disaster. Not to mention, it feels cheap, considering Rojas hasn't managed in nearly five years.

The good news is that it's still relatively early in the process. The Texas Rangers are the only team who have hired a manager this offseason, and the Orioles still have names like Ryan Flaherty and David Ross to consider. Ross' viability for the Orioles' gig remains undetermined, but Flaherty is believed to be a strong candidate.