This Timeline Is a Bad Look for Orioles Executive Mike Elias

There are more questions swirling about the decision for the Baltimore Orioles to fire Brandon Hyde.

Jul 18, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias on field prior to the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

This is now the fifth day since the Baltimore Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde.

They have not seen a bump in production following that decision, losing four games in a row while being outscored 30-17.

The same things that have plagued this team throughout the season are still present, with the pitching staff continuing to surrender a high number of runs with the offense not being able to produce some of their own in big spots.

With that said, it was easy to see why Hyde was fired.

Something needed to change in the midst of this disastrous year, and moving on from the manager was the easiest move they could make.

However, whenever a decision of that magnitude is made, there are repercussions that come from it, and subsequent analysis does not paint general manager Mike Elias in the best light based on this timeline that was put together by Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun.

Orioles GM Mike Elias’ timeline this month:

May 2 — Elias tells Baltimore media he’s “very confident” in manager Brandon Hyde.
May 7 — Elias on 105.7 The Fan: “This is not something that the manager is impacting on the team.”
May 7 — Elias on New York Post podcast: “You look at…

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) May 20, 2025

As Meyer points out, Elias backed Hyde at the beginning of the month even when the team had a record of 13-18. And even when they dropped their next three before their game on May 7, the general manager was still publicly stating his support of the skipper.

But 10 days later, that all changed.

Again, it was easy to see why.

Since Elias gave Hyde the dreaded vote of confidence, Baltimore went 2-10 in 12 games and looked completely lost as a team, looking more like the bottoming out version that was present during the early stages of the rebuild than the one that made the playoffs for two straight years with an AL East title to their name.

That doesn't mean this isn't a bad look for Elias, though.

It suggests there was real panic in the front office, and because many of the struggles are in large part due to poor roster construction that many around the sport pointed out before the first game of the 2025 campaign took place, it's hard not to say this move was made in part to cover for the baseball operation team's own shortcomings.

The four straight losses since the firing points to there being more issues than just the manager.

Players who were supposed to be the future of the sport have taken massive steps back or have not reached the levels that many expected at this stage of their careers.

That can all turn around since there is still a lot of baseball to be played, but the Orioles are going to have more questions to answer about where they go from here since this looks like a lost season.