The Orioles have already started making changes in the front office with 15 games left in the regular season, and one of the most notable moves involves Matt Blood.
According to a source, Blood is no longer with the organization. He was promoted in November to vice president of player and staff development, but that role is now gone as well. He still appears in the team’s staff directory, and he was at the ballpark during the last homestand, which ended yesterday.
Blood’s run with Baltimore began in 2019, when president of baseball operations Mike Elias brought him in as director of player development. Before that, Blood had been the Rangers’ director of baseball innovation. His background also includes three years as USA Baseball’s director of the 18-and-under National Team Program and seven seasons as an area scout in the Cardinals organization, where he worked with Elias.
The November reshuffle had already changed Blood’s title from vice president of player development and domestic scouting, a job he had held since October 2023. In his most recent position, he still oversaw minor league player development and operations, but his responsibilities were widened to include executive support for manager Craig Albernaz in major league staff and player development, along with help for the sports medicine and performance departments.
Blood was not the only person to move up in the fall. Brendan Fournie was promoted from senior director of baseball strategy and operations to assistant general manager, with duties that include baseball economics, advanced scouting, salary arbitration, and roster and transaction support.
Will Robertson moved from director of pro personnel to vice president of domestic scouting. Chad Tatum became assistant director of domestic scouting after serving as manager of domestic scouting.
Hendrik Herz was elevated from manager of domestic scouting analysis to assistant director of draft operations, and Kevin Carter went from manager of pro scouting to assistant director of pro scouting.
More changes could still be coming for a club that remains in last place. The Orioles are three games out of the final Wild Card spot as they head into a weekend series in Toronto.
Departures from the organization have generally been handled quietly. Kerry Watson, who was hired in 2023 as executive vice president of public affairs, left in June and joined the Mayor’s Office on Aug. 31 as deputy chief of staff.
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