There are 146 days until the Orioles play another scheduled game, and the calendar is about to get even uglier. In a little more than a month, the owner lockout arrives, and the sport goes into another stretch of uncertainty until a labor agreement is reached.
That leaves the Brewers’ run through the end of the World Series as the last bit of MLB action to hold attention for now, and Milwaukee made sure there was nothing left hanging. The Brewers couldn’t complete a sweep of the Rays on Tuesday night, but they still ended the championship round with authority, riding hard-throwing ace Jacob Misiorowski to a Game 5 victory and their first title in franchise history.
The Brewers’ path says a lot about just how much postseason opportunities matter. Since the 2018 season, they’ve made the playoffs every year except one, spent years taking early exits, and kept coming back until the right season finally lined up in 2026.
This was not some Cinderella sneak attack, either. Milwaukee had the best regular-season record, finishing with more wins than the two-time defending champion Dodgers.
They announced themselves by sweeping those Dodgers after being swept by them in the NLCS a year ago, then ran through the AL’s top regular-season team in the World Series.
None of that meant the trophy was automatic. Regular-season dominance does not hand out championships on its own, and Milwaukee still had to execute all month long. They did, and now the Orioles sit with the fifth-longest championship drought in baseball, behind the Guardians, Padres, Mariners, and Pirates.
Back in Birdland, the focus has shifted almost entirely to new general manager Jared Banner. That comes less from a flood of new developments than from the fact that Banner’s introductory press conference happened earlier in the week, and with no other major new inputs, that is the main thing everyone is parsing.
It would have been better for the Orioles if this kind of change had happened a year ago, when Mike Elias could have acknowledged that his 2025 blueprint wasn’t working and adjusted sooner. To Elias’s credit, he did depart from his usual approach last offseason.
The signing of Pete Alonso, the trade for Shane Baz, and even the trade of Grayson Rodriguez all represented a different kind of thinking. It still wasn’t enough.
By the final weeks of the regular season, the organization was already reshaping parts of the front office, with personnel moved around or pushed out. Baltimore had heard before that the club was considering adding a general manager and never followed through. This time it did.
For now, Elias and Banner are saying the expected things. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but it does suggest the Orioles are at least trying a different route. In the next few days, the first real glimpse should come in how they begin shaping the November roster plan before the lockout sets in.
One of the most revealing lines from the presser was the one where Elias said he is putting Banner in charge of areas where “I think he’s better than me.”
Elias wore the humble pie openly in making the hire, and there is no shortage of goodwill around Banner. There was also plenty of goodwill around Craig Albernaz, though, and that ended a certain way.
Banner also made an impression with the way he spoke about player growth. Without making any specific promises about Gunnar Henderson, he brought up how the presumptive NL MVP, Pete Crow-Armstrong, had a strong year but still wanted more, and how the Cubs helped him reach a higher level. That idea certainly sounds like one the Orioles would like to tap into.
Another major question sitting out there is center field. The outfield free agent market is thin, and one piece on Colton Cowser asked whether he should be viewed as the Orioles’ everyday center fielder. The idea makes sense that if he is healthy, he could be that guy for 2027, and he is another player Banner may be asked to help develop through better processes.
There are also a few Orioles notes tied to this date on the calendar. On this day in 2013, J.J.
Hardy, Adam Jones, and Manny Machado were announced as Gold Glove winners. The next year brought three more Orioles Gold Glove winners, but the club has not had multiple winners since then.
In fact, no Oriole has won a Gold Glove at all since Ramón Urías earned one four years ago.
Former Orioles born today include Shaun Anderson, Dana Eveland, Karim García, Frank Baker, and Pete Richert.
And for the birthday crowd beyond baseball, the list includes Bob Ross, Dan Castellaneta, Rufus Sewell, and Winona Ryder.
On this day in history, a treaty signed in Constantinople in 1888 guaranteed passage through the Suez Canal regardless of war or peace, though Egypt was not part of the talks and did not sign it. In 1914, the Ottoman Empire entered World War I on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary, and five years later the empire dissolved with the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey, now the Republic of Türkiye. Then in 1929, the New York Stock Exchange crash known as “Black Tuesday” helped launch the Great Depression.
In Other News...
Orioles GM Just Sent A Clear Message About Fixing The Young Core
Jared Banners first public remarks as the Orioles new general manager offered a clear look at the kind of front-office voice Baltimore is bringing in. At his introductory press conference, Banner placed player development at the center of his philosophy, stressing that the organization has to keep raising standards while helping young talent keep moving forward. He also pointed to Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong as an example of the type of growth a player can make when development takes hold.
For Orioles fans, the most notable part was how Banner framed the young core without rushing to judgment. He said it is too early to make any final call on shortstop Gunnar Hendersons future, which fits the broader message of patience and structure around Baltimores next step. Banner also made clear that the club will lean on analytics, but not as the only tool in the room, signaling a more flexible approach to teaching as the Orioles try to keep their promising group on track. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Now Face Keegan Akin Fallout They Never Needed
Keegan Akin has been part of the Orioles picture since they drafted him in 2016, long enough to become one of those familiar bullpen names that has seen both good stretches and rough ones. His career in Baltimore has always come with a little volatility, and 2026 followed that pattern before the season took an especially discouraging turn, with a poor start compounded by a groin injury that already put him in a difficult spot.
Now the Orioles are dealing with a far bigger issue around a pitcher who was already set to hit the market soon. Akins elbow injury and the Tommy John surgery that followed not only ended his season, it also leaves his free-agency outlook in a far different place than it looked a few months ago, with the recovery timeline likely to wipe out most or all of 2027 as well. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Suddenly Have A Bullpen Dilemma For 2027
The Orioles bullpen picture for 2027 is already getting complicated, and Ryan Helsley is a big reason why. After missing significant time in 2026 because of right elbow injuries, the veteran reliever is expected to be back for Spring Training, giving Baltimore another high-end arm to sort through as it plans out the back end of games.
Helsleys return alone would be notable, but it comes with an even more intriguing layer for the Orioles. Flix Bautista is also expected to be in the mix after his own recovery, setting up a spring competition that should give Baltimore plenty of late-inning options and just as many decisions to make. The club wanted depth in the bullpen, and now it may have more than enough of it. [Read more 🡒]