Orioles GM Continues to Prove He's Best in Baseball After Fleecing Brewers
The Baltimore Orioles certainly made the right decision in November of 2018 when they hired Mike Elias away from the Houston Astros to become their general manager and executive vice president.
As the Orioles were undergoing their teardown rebuilding process, getting someone in the building who had been a major component in the Astros doing the same thing to massive success was important.
Elias was Houston's scouting director in 2012 and then earned a promotion to assistant general manager in 2016 before coming to Baltimore. He was a key figure in them winning the World Series in 2017.
Even though he was viewed highly favorably inside executive circles, perhaps nobody imagined what he would be able to accomplish over the next few years.
After winning fewer than 60 games per season from 2019-2021, the Orioles popped during 2022 to win 83 games and finish with a winning record for the first time since 2016.
Amidst all the losing, the front office was identifying and drafting elite talent, then developing those players within their farm system, readying them for their eventual Major League debuts.
That all culminated last season when Baltimore won 101 games and the American League East division title. Gunnar Henderson won AL Rookie of the Year, following Adley Rutschman's runner-up finish in 2022.
Elias took home the MLB Executive of the Year award.
But the 41-year-old really showed why he's the best in the game after fleecing the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade that landed them Corbin Burnes.
Everyone knew the Orioles wanted an ace this offseason.
The Chicago White Sox asked for everything short of Baltimore's pink slips in a trade package that would send Dylan Cease to the Orioles.
Instead of meeting that asking price, Elias was able to get a former Cy Young winner onto their roster in exchange for Joey Ortiz, DL Hall and the 34th pick in the upcoming MLB Draft.
Yes, that's all it took to land Burnes.
Sure, Hall is a super talented pitching prospect who they took in the first round back in 2017, but he only made his debut with Baltimore in 2022 and has thrown just 33 innings across 29 appearances, primarily as a reliever.
The lefty was perennial considered one of their top five prospects from 2018-2022, but he's nowhere close to the level Burnes is right now.
Same goes for Ortiz, who was ranked as their No. 6 prospect in 2023 and appeared in 15 games with the Orioles last season.
These players could turn out to be great with the Brewers, but for Elias to get a deal done that lands a starting pitcher who's finished inside the top-10 of NL Cy Young voting four years in a row, who has a career ERA of 3.26 and ERA+ of 129, without having to give up a single top five prospect, that is truly remarkable.
And yes, Burnes is only under contract for one season, likely meaning this will be a rental, but Baltimore was aggressive with the roster they have in place.
Elias knows the Orioles are contenders.
He just made a move to ensure they will be when it matters most.
