Could Former Seattle Mariners Manager Be Candidate For Baltimore Orioles Job?
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Over the weekend, the Baltimore Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde, leading to speculation about the future direction of the organization.
Hyde led the O's to a 101-win season in 2023, and helped them reach the playoffs in 2024, but the team failed to win even a single playoff series in those two years.
Baltimore enters play on Monday at 15-30 and with the second-worst record in the American League. But despite the recent postseason failures and the poor start, the job will still be very desirable for managerial candidates in the offseason. The Orioles have tons of young talent under team control for several years, including Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg. Henderson was an MVP candidate just a year ago.
Furthermore, they'll have opportunities to add to the roster in the offseason if they want to trade from their additional prospect group like Colby Mayo or Samuel Basallo. There's also the free agent route if the O's ownership group greenlights more spending. The team should also be attractive to free agents given the young talent on the roster. Cedric Mullins is a free agent after the year, which could free up additional resources.
Given that the Orioles job is both available and desirable, expect former Seattle Mariners' skipper Scott Servais to throw his hat in the ring. Servais, fired by the Ms in August of 2024, is currently serving as an advisor in the San Diego Padres organization.
Servais, 57, spent parts of nine years with the Mariners, going 680-642. He had five winning seasons out of his full eight and helped Seattle make the playoffs in 2022.
He spent 11 years as a big-league catcher with the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants.
The Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates jobs are also available after those clubs fired their managers earlier this season. Servais could also be a candidate for those openings, but the O's job is certainly a better gig given that they are closer to winning.
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