The Orioles’ front office just changed shape, and with it came a fresh layer of pressure on Craig Albernaz.
Baltimore hired Jared Banner as its new general manager on Monday, giving President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias a new understudy as the organization tries to answer for a second straight disappointing season after its surprising run to the postseason in 2024. Games still get decided between the lines, of course, but another miss has already put the club’s competitive window under the microscope. If 2027 starts poorly, bigger changes could be coming.
That’s where Albernaz enters the picture. He was handed a roster with expectations attached, especially after the Brandon Hyde era ended and with a young core that also brought in veteran slugger Pete Alonso. Instead, Year 1 finished at 79-82, a record that did little to settle a restless fanbase.
And the division doesn’t offer much breathing room. The Tampa Bay Rays are just four wins away from their first World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays are only a year removed from being a win away from a Commissioner's Trophy, and the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox remain regular postseason teams. In that kind of neighborhood, a new front office can make a manager’s seat warm in a hurry.
But Albernaz may not be the only Orioles figure under pressure this winter.
Banner and Elias also face a major decision with Luis Robert Jr.’s $20 million club option. Robert’s expectations were enormous when he signed his seven-year deal with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, and his broader track record has fallen short of that.
Still, his early work in Baltimore offered a hint of life: a .182 average through his first three games, but also a 116 wRC+, a sub-20% K-rate and a .545 SLG. The Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Mets for a reason, and the price tag will tell the story on whether they want to keep him around for another year.
Then there are the younger names that once looked untouchable.
Gunnar Henderson is coming off another step back in 2026 after his breakout 2024, when he was a 154 wRC+ All-Star starter. This past season, he settled in at a 101 wRC+, posted a .712 OPS and drove in 59 runs.
Jackson Holliday’s numbers also dipped again. After a 96 wRC+ in 2025, the former first overall pick hit just .229/.300/.340 with seven homers, 30 RBI, an 85 wRC+ and 0.5 fWAR in 2026.
Baltimore’s old wave of position-player depth is also no longer waiting in the minors. Beyond recently drafted outfield prospect Eric Booth Jr., there isn’t much left on that front. The big names are here now, and the Orioles have only a home Wild Card Series sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals to show for it.
That matters because the trade market may become the more practical place for teams to hunt upgrades, especially with the projected 2027 free-agent class looking thin. Henderson and Holliday still carry enough pedigree to bring back value if Baltimore decides to take a different path, and Banner could wind up shaping more than just the Orioles’ future.
Still, the biggest target in Baltimore right now belongs to Albernaz. He is the one tasked with sorting out the lineup card, but he’s also the most obvious first candidate to feel the heat if the results don’t turn fast.
He isn’t Banner’s guy, and that alone makes the margin for error razor-thin. If the Orioles stumble right away, change would be the next logical step.
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Orioles Face Some Tough 2027 Decisions On Familiar Names
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Orioles Keep Landing In The Same Pitching Debate Again
Mike Elias has spent plenty of time trying to navigate the same roster question from different angles, and for the Orioles it keeps coming back to pitching. His track record has included a mix of trades and player acquisitions aimed at building a team good enough for October, but the bigger challenge has been finding the right formula to push past good and into playoff-winning territory. With the conversation now looking ahead to the 2027 season, the focus once again lands on how Baltimore could reshape its staff and what kind of moves would make the most sense.
The debate is less about whether the Orioles need help and more about where that help might come from, and that is where the speculation gets interesting. Pitching remains the clearest path forward, with potential trade targets and broader roster maneuvering all part of the picture, even if nothing is close to being resolved yet. For a front office that has already shown a willingness to keep adjusting, the next round of decisions could say a lot about how aggressive Elias plans to be when the time comes. [Read more 🡒]