Mike Elias has been the Orioles GM since November of 2018. Coming off that 47-win season, there was very little to smile about in Birdland, with very dark times ahead.
However, over the course of five years, Elias pulled off one of the best rebuilds you’ll see in professional sports, with his Orioles not only sitting atop the American League but also sporting the best farm system in all of baseball.
With that, I thought it would be fun to look at five of his best moves during that span. These really aren’t in a particular order, but all have been significant to the O’s recent and future success.
Let’s get started with probably the most obvious of them all.
1. Adley and Gunnar
Everybody at this point is familiar with the Orioles’ two young stars in Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. But what a lot of people sometimes minimize is that both of them came out of the same draft class in 2019, Adley going first overall, and Gunnar going early in round two.
It’s safe to say Elias and the scouting team did their homework here as Rutschman, who’s arguably already the best catcher in baseball, has completely revamped the culture in Baltimore, while Henderson is the front runner for AL Rookie of the Year.
2. Bradish for Bundy
Dylan Bundy, who was a top draft pick of previous management and thought to be a sure-fire frontline starter for the Birds after being selected fourth overall in 2011, unfortunately did not pan out the way the Orioles hoped. Bundy owned a 4.67 ERA with Baltimore, and after Mike Elias had seen enough, he was sent to the Angels for right-handed-pitchers Kyle Bradish, Isaac Mattson, Zach Peek and Kyle Brnovich.
Bundy delivered more of the same for the Halos, pitching to a 4.89 ERA, while Kyle Bradish, the only part of the return to reach the majors so far, is in the midst of a career year. The 26-year-old has taken over the ace role in the O’s rotation, pitching to a 3.03 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, while reaching 10 wins for the first time in his career. It’s safe to say the Angels might want this one back.
3. Yennier Canó for… free?
Maybe the funniest of Elias’ moves was actually very unpopular when it first happened. The Orioles, who were contending for a postseason spot in 2022, sold off All-Star closer Jorge López to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for pitchers Yennier Canó, Juan Nuñez, Cade Povich and Juan Rojas.
While many O’s fans were disappointed that the team did not go all-in, Elias once again was ahead of the game. López’s 1.68 ERA with the Orioles quickly inflated to 4.37 with the Twins, while Cade Povich has quickly made a name for himself down on the farm and is currently labeled as the O’s No. 11 prospect.
Yennier Cano has been stellar in his rookie campaign, helping anchor a very good bullpen with his 1.65 ERA. The cherry on top? López, who the Twins eventually parted ways with, is now back with the Orioles after being clearing waivers with the Marlins, so the O’s now have both All-Stars in their bullpen.
4. Jackson Holliday over Druw Jones
The exclamation point on the Orioles’ 2022 season, which saw them return to relevance for the first time since 2016, was the fact they held the first overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft. Druw Jones was the foreseen prized possession that Orioles fans couldn’t wait for.
However, Mike Elias once again had different ideas, opting for high school standout Jackson Holliday instead, sticking to his prototypical under slot draft picks. Oriole fans everywhere were outraged and in disbelief that the front office passed up on Jones, who went second to the Diamondbacks. This was very quickly put to rest, though, as Jones was set back by an injury, and Holliday was a stud the second he entered the farm.
Holliday has already made it to Triple-A Norfolk at just 19 years old, propelled by his .333 average and .968 OPS. Jones, on the other hand, is still in A-ball, hitting just .209 with a .603 OPS. It’s still very early in both Holliday and Jones’ careers, but at this moment, it looks really good for Elias.
5. Good-bye, old friend…
This one might not sit well with a lot of you, but I thought it was worth including. Trey Mancini, a fan favorite in Baltimore, simply was no longer beneficial to the team’s success in 2022 and was a part of a three-team trade, where he would land in Houston. In return, the Orioles received pitchers Chayce McDermott and Seth Johnson.
Although Mancini got his ring, he struggled with the Astros and is currently a free agent after being DFA’d by the Cubs and later released by the Reds. Meanwhile, McDermott and Johnson are both top 15 prospects for the O’s. McDermott, the highest ranked pitching prospect for the Orioles, owns a 3.16 ERA on the season, while Seth Johnson, who spent most of this season recovering from Tommy John, had struggled, but has a very strong track record.
I think a lot of Orioles fans take for granted the job Mike Elias has done since taking over in 2018 and need to trust the man more. I’ve had my issues with some of his decisions, but more often than not, he ends up being right and is the biggest reason the Orioles are in as good of a position as they are right now.
What do you think? Did I miss any move you thought should’ve been mentioned? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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