The Orioles have filled the general manager job, bringing in Jared Banner to work alongside President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias.
Banner arrives from the Cubs, where he had been since December 2020 and most recently held the title of assistant general manager. In Baltimore, his role will center on the daily operation of the baseball department, with the Orioles saying he will oversee player development, coaching and performance efforts while also teaming with Elias on strategy, staffing and talent acquisition.
Elias, who has led baseball operations since November 2018, was promoted from general manager to his current position after the 2024 season, though that move did not become public until September 2025. The general manager position itself remained open until this hire.
Banner, 40, is a Brooklyn native who started his front office career with the Red Sox after graduating from Amherst in 2007. He was Boston’s vice president of player personnel in 2017 and 2018 before moving to the Mets, the team he grew up supporting. There, he became executive director of player development in December 2018.
He later joined the Cubs as vice president of special projects in 2020, advanced to vice president of player development in 2022 and then was named assistant general manager in January 2024.
“When I first heard Mike’s vision, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. The Orioles are a storied franchise with a passionate fanbase, a historic ballpark, and an organization full of talent,” said Banner in a statement. “I look forward to building upon the foundation laid by Mike and his team to construct a world-class organization and bring Championships back to Baltimore.”
Elias praised Banner as “one of the rising talents in our league for some time, now,” and pointed to his experience across multiple departments. Elias said Banner “is a perfect fit to grow, evolve and improve the Orioles’ baseball operations,” and added, “We welcome him and his family to Baltimore, and we are very pleased that they chose our team and our community for the next phase of their baseball journey.”
Banner’s background also includes four years of varsity baseball at Amherst, where he majored in psychology and most recently taught at Northwestern.
In Other News...
Orioles Outfield Prospect Paths Just Took Two Very Different Turns
Nate George and Enddy Azocar took very different routes through High-A Frederick this season, even though both spent time in the Orioles outfield mix. George, a 16th-round pick in 2024, got off to a strong start before a non-baseball-related medical condition ended his season early, cutting short what had been an encouraging run for one of Baltimores younger prospects.
Azocars year went in the opposite direction. Signed by the Red Sox in 2024, he made clear progress in 2026, earned a promotion, and then was traded to the Orioles before finishing the season with the Frederick Keys. For a farm system always looking for outfield options, the contrast between the two is a reminder of how quickly a prospects path can change, and how much can hinge on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Former Orioles Are Becoming October Weapons For A Division Rival
The Orioles had a familiar look in the Rays' playoff win over the Guardians, even if the jerseys had changed. Tyler Wells and Bryan Baker both played key roles out of Tampa Bay's bullpen, with Baker finishing things off for his 34th straight save, while Cedric Mullins and Jorge Mateo were also part of the game in a postseason matchup that carried a little extra Baltimore flavor.
For an Orioles team that has spent the past several seasons trying to build a contender, seeing former players pop up in October for another club is a reminder of how much talent has passed through the organization. Wells and Baker were not just roster fillers in a playoff setting, they were central pieces in a game that mattered, and their success elsewhere is the kind of storyline that lingers when a division rival is still playing this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Payroll Surge Puts Rubenstein's Contender Push Under The Microscope
The Orioles payroll has moved sharply upward since David Rubenstein took over, and the numbers now give a clearer picture of how aggressively the club is trying to stay in the contender class. Spotrac projects Baltimore at $175.9 million in luxury tax payroll for 2025, with the figure climbing to $217.6 million in 2026 before settling at an estimated $186.6 million in 2027, a reminder that this front office is no longer operating like a team content to wait its turn.
A closer look at the 2027 breakdown shows how much of that spending is already tied to the core, with contracts, arbitration cases and club options all shaping what the roster could look like by then. Names such as Gunnar Henderson, Tyler ONeill, Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz are part of that calculation, along with the possibility of bigger-ticket additions like Pete Alonso, but the offseason still has plenty of time to reshape both the roster and the balance sheet. [Read more 🡒]
