BALTIMORE -- David Rubenstein didn’t just show up at Camden Yards on Friday to celebrate Kyle Bradish’s new five-year, $90 million extension. He also used the moment to make something else plain: he’s all-in on Mike Elias.
When asked publicly for the first time about Elias’ standing as the Orioles’ long-term leader of baseball operations, Rubenstein didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely. Of course,” Rubenstein said.
“Mike, he was the Baseball Executive of the Year [in 2023], widely regarded as outstanding by his peers and other people in baseball. Absolutely.
And he’s done a terrific job. I’m very, very happy, and we couldn’t be more pleased.
We’ve had some injuries, but that’s not Mike’s fault. In the end, we’re very pleased, and we’re really, really happy to have such a talented executive leading our baseball team.”
That answer came on a day built around Bradish, but the bigger picture was impossible to miss. Baltimore entered Friday at 50-53 and with nine games left before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, the club is trying to make a move while still sorting through a season that hasn’t gone the way it expected.
Elias, hired as general manager in November 2018, rebuilt the organization over time and put together a team that reached the postseason in both 2023 and 2024. Now he’s steering the Orioles through a stretch that demands both immediate results and longer-term planning.
Rubenstein also made clear the Orioles are still willing to keep spending if the right opportunities come along. Over the past year, his group has backed four of the seven biggest contracts in franchise history: Bradish’s extension, Shane Baz’s five-year, $68 million deal, Samuel Basallo’s eight-year, $67 million extension, and Pete Alonso’s five-year, $155 million free-agent contract.
He said the club is still looking for more.
“Nothing is easy, but I think that the fact that we were able to get a few done has probably shown that we were forthright in saying we had the resources to do more, and we’re prepared to do more,” Rubenstein said. “Our goal is to build the best team in baseball and to win a World Series championship for the city of Baltimore and for the Orioles. And we have the resources to help make that possible, and we have the players on the team that I think can help make that a reality.
“So, we’re open to doing more with players that want to do that. And obviously, it takes two parties to come together, but we’re open to it and we are eager to talk to anybody that wants to talk to us about a longer-term relationship.”
The optimism around the clubhouse wasn’t limited to ownership, either. Rubenstein said he believes the Orioles can still get into the playoffs this season, and Elias echoed that view.
“I’m hopeful that we will make it into the playoffs,” Rubenstein said. “I’m very optimistic going forward. The last 10 games have been terrific, I think, generally, and if we can win seven out of every 10 games, I think we’re going to be in the playoffs.”
“Where we're at right now, we're within arm's reach of a playoff spot,” Elias said. “We've got enough time left to get there. We're coming up on the Deadline, so the next several games are really important and everybody is really focused on these next several games, but I look at the talent on this team and we're extremely optimistic that we can get where we want to go.”
As for Bradish’s extension, Elias said the deal moved quickly because both sides had already shown interest last offseason. Assistant general managers Eve Rosenbaum and Brendan Fournie worked with Bradish’s agent, Scott Leventhal of All Bases Covered Sports Management, and other representatives to get it across the finish line.
Bradish, for his part, has made it clear over the past week that he wanted to stay in Baltimore long term. Elias said a major factor in that desire was the clubhouse culture already in place with the current core.
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