Orioles president Mike Elias sends message about Tony Mansolino's future

Newly-promoted Baltimore Orioles president Mike Elias addressed the decision to potentially keep Tony Mansolino as manager after the 2025 season.

Aug 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino (36) against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

On September 11, news broke that the Baltimore Orioles had promoted former General Manager Mike Elias to the role of president within the organization. This is clearly a vote of confidence in Elias, and shows that the ownership has trust in the roster and coaching staff decisions Elias has made to this point and will continue to make in the future.

There are several tough decisions Elias must make once this offseason arrives. In addition to deciding which players to pursue in free agency and whether or not he should trade star catcher and face of the franchise Adley Rutschman, Elias must figure out whether he wants to keep interim manager Tony Mansolino around or move on from him and fire another manager for the 2026 campaign.

Mansolino took over from ex-manager Brandon Hyde on May 17, after Baltimore got off to a 15-28 record to start the 2025 MLB season. Under Mansolino, the club has gone 53-49, which suggests that he has done a solid job running the team.

Dec 10, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Baltimore Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias talks on the set of MLB Network at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Mike Elias Addresses Tony Mansolino's Potential Future as Orioles Manager

Both Mansolino and Elias were interviewed by Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun for a September 11 article. And at one point, Elias sent a message about Mansolino's performance since taking over as manager.

Elias said that he believes Mansolino has done a tremendous job with the team, that he has noticed improvement in the team's overall spirit and competitiveness since he became interim manager. He also noted that as he begins to think about the 2026 campaign, the decision to keep Mansolino at the helm will be at the top of his mind.

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It's clear that Elias still hasn't come to a decision in this regard, and didn't want to give too much away during the interview. However, the praise he had for Mansolino (along with the winning record he has produced since becoming interim manager) speaks volumes, and should make it so he has a good chance at becoming Baltimore's full-time manager in 2026.

“My whole goal has just been to make the seat better for the next guy, whether it’s me or whether it’s somebody else.”

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino faces an uncertain future beyond this season, but he’s still managing with the long view in mind. https://t.co/nis86WhFsY

— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) September 11, 2025

As for Mansolino, he was quoted in the article as saying, “My whole goal has just been to make the seat better for the next guy, whether it’s me or whether it’s somebody else.”

That says a lot about Mansolino's character and his desire for Baltimore to be in a good place for the 2026 campaign, regardless of whether he ends up getting the managerial job.