Elias (c) will oversee all baseball operations for the club and have full autonomy to build his staff ORIOLES
The Orioles on Friday formally named Mike Elias their new Exec VP & GM, giving him the "opportunity to replicate" his success with the Astros, according to Jon Meoli of the BALTIMORE SUN. Elias, first as Scouting Dir and later as Assistant GM, "played a key role" in rebuilding the Astros that resulted in a '17 World Series title. The 35-year-old "faces a long road" in turning around the Orioles' franchise, but the organization has "given him broad powers to execute his vision." Orioles Exec VP John Angelos and Ownership Rep Lou Angelos, the sons of Owner Peter Angelos, "conducted the interviews as a two-man search party" and ultimately "selected Elias" to replace Dan Duquette, who was dismissed Oct. 3. Elias' "rise to one of baseball's top jobs has been swift." After playing at Yale and graduating in '06, Elias joined the Cardinals in '07 as an "area scout, climbing to manager of amateur scouting" in '10. He then left the Cardinals in '12 to join Astros President of Baseball Operations & GM Jeff Luhnow in Houston (BALTIMORE SUN, 11/17). The Orioles said that Elias will "oversee all baseball operations for the club and have full autonomy to build his staff and make decisions on all baseball matters." In Baltimore, Peter Schmuck wrote that is "a lot of autonomy for an organization where, for much of the past quarter-century, the ultimate authority on all organizational decisions was exercised" by Peter Angelos. It is the "beginning of a new era for the Orioles organization, which figures to look very different -- from top to bottom -- when the front office transition is complete" (BALTIMORE SUN, 11/17).
RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB: Elias, who was introduced this morning, is "not the first Ivy Leaguer to ascend to such a prominent baseball role, but he's also not the quant that his resume or his previous job" with the analytics-minded Astros "might indicate." Elias is a "modern executive, one with all the tools and experience mandatory for the holistic task of returning the Orioles to respectability on and off the field" (BALTIMORE SUN, 11/17). Elias also is the "sixth prominent member" of the Astros' front office or on-field staff to "leave the club since September" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 11/17). In DC, Ryan Wormeli wrote after the Orioles spent "months, if not years, digging deeper and deeper into a self-imposed hole, they figured out a way to come out smelling like roses." The hiring of Elias is a "perfect fit." For the "first time in what feels like years, the Orioles are making a decision that's been universally lauded" (NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.com, 11/16).
TOUGH TASK AHEAD: In N.Y., Bill Madden wrote the Orioles' vacant role was the "worst job in baseball and it's highly unlikely" Elias, whose "primary area of experience was in analytics and player development ... will be able to turn things around in Baltimore." Madden: "For one thing, the Orioles have only a handful of professional and international scouts and the worst farm system in all of baseball." Meanwhile, the longstanding dispute between the Orioles and Nationals over MASN is "finally supposed to be resolved by MLB this week." It is "expected the Orioles are going to be ordered to pay the Nationals substantially more for their TV rights," which would put a "serious crimp on their operations" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/18).
