“I’m kind of in disbelief, honestly.” This was Brandon Hyde, the Baltimore Orioles former manager’s statement after he was ejected from the clubhouse. Hyde was the one who restructured the team and guided them to the previous two postseasons; he had a 421-493 record. Due to their difficult start to the season and their 15-28 record, the Orioles appeared less patient. And finally, on May 17, Saturday, news of the firing came as a shock, sparking hopes of a massive turnaround for the worst team in MLB this season.

However, considering that the Orioles are still trailing at the bottom of the AL East with a 32-42 record and a .432 PCT, the term “turnaround” seems unrealistic. None of the other teams in the division are standing below the .513 PCT mark. Hopefully, everyone can guess the condition. But now, only a month later, Mike Elias, the general manager of the Orioles, is facing criticism. And one radio host didn’t mince his words for Elias.

Jason La Canfora shared a post on X, writing, “Fire Mike Elias. He’s shown you for over 2 years he ain’t cut out for this. Cut your losses. You will never win anything with him managing your baseball operations. #FireEliasNow.” He is so irate that he has launched a hashtag campaign calling for Elias to be fired.

But what is the reason behind that?

Well, ever since Brandon Hyde’s exit, things have gone quiet for the Baltimore Orioles. Even the general manager is well aware of it. Despite the change in leadership, the trick didn’t work. Elias’ attempt to rebuild the club has been met with skepticism now that the stakes are high and the season’s outcome isn’t exactly in their favor at the moment.

To be honest, every word the radio host has spoken makes sense from one point of view. For the past couple of years, under Elias, the Orioles haven’t shown any significant returns. Not many are aware of the fact that the Orioles have one of the most loaded farm systems. They won 91 games last year and 101 the year before, but now, they are faltering. They didn’t even have a starting pitcher, and their young hitters haven’t had the best of starts. The lack of free agency incomings and the growing number of injuries plaguing their lineup further compound the problems.

Still, Mike Elias hasn’t done enough as a GM. The team relied too much on their young prospects to develop as superstars. And their gaps were neither complemented with any financial benefits nor any proper training. So far, the Orioles haven’t extended any of their young players and have failed to bring in any big players from free agency.

So, now with the Orioles going down the abyss gradually, every move of Elias will be questioned. And that’s probably the reason why he is under intense scrutiny. And maybe he might face the same fate, just like it happened with Brandon Hyde, too.

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at what Elias said about moving on from Hyde.

Mike Elias opened up on their decision to let go Brandon Hyde  

Talking about the decision to let Brandon Hyde go, Mike Elias said, “When you’re making a decision as grave as changing the manager, that’s something you consult with ownership on very heavily, and I did.” While it’s important to consult with the owners before going through any change in leadership, it cannot be denied that we saw this coming, no?

Elias was concerned about the team not getting on the right path. And that, apparently, contributed to Hyde’s firing. If we look back, the Orioles management made the decision in a desperate attempt to breathe life into the team. But unfortunately, it didn’t work the way they expected.

What makes this slump even more juddering is how much talent they still have in their roster. Just a couple of seasons ago, this same team won 101 games. Now, the team had to face the real reality check. Given that they are near the bottom of the table and have no chance of making the playoffs, it would be safe to assume that Hyde at least gave it his all.

However, all thanks to Mike Elias, who believed that they were going to work on that and get better. “We have a lot of faith in this very talented group.” But unfortunately, his words didn’t match the efforts that a team needs to put in every game. Hyde and Elias had been working together for a while, but this season things got difficult. As was to be expected, the front office decided to start the rebuilding phase after tearing apart the roster.

And finally, Brandon Hyde was ousted. However, if the Orioles want to get back on the right path once again, Elias needs to take proper care of the drowning ship. He would have to ensure that the players remain healthy and they get enough practices. And at the same time, he needs to focus on getting the big players from free agency, which could help the Orioles to make a comeback.