The Orioles finally have a general manager who isn't Mike Elias, and Elias spent a good part of Tuesday morning explaining why he thinks that's a good thing.
Jared Banner, hired Oct. 19 after six years in the Cubs' front office, was formally introduced as Baltimore's GM in a 27-minute press conference on the ground floor of the B&O Warehouse at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He sat beside Elias, who keeps his title as president of baseball operations, with president of business operations Catie Griggs watching from the front row. The pairing arrives a month after the Orioles were formally eliminated from playoff contention on the way to their first losing season since 2021, and both men spoke like executives who understand the clock is running.
How Elias and Banner Will Split the Job
The headline question going in was simple: who does what? Elias' answer started with collaboration — the two will partner on nearly everything, he said — before he drew a clear line through the department.
Banner gets everything internal. That means the players already in the organization, the coaching staff, player development, performance science and healthcare. Elias keeps the outward-facing side of the operation: pro, amateur and international scouting, acquisitions and contracts.
Then came the line that will define how this hire is remembered. Elias called Banner deeply experienced and successful in those internal areas, and went a step further.
"I think he's better than I am in those areas," Elias said.
For an executive whose reputation was built on the 2018-23 rebuild, it was a notable admission, and it doubled as the clearest explanation yet for why the Orioles needed this hire. Elias framed the arrangement as a way for the club to get more out of him by freeing up his time for trades, signings and the draft — the part of the job where his fingerprints are most obvious.
It isn't a two-man show, either. Asked who will be working the phones at next summer's trade deadline, Elias said both of them, plus another six or seven people, describing the modern front office workload as overwhelming enough that more strong leadership only helps.
Why It Took So Long
Elias was promoted to president of baseball operations before the 2025 season but continued holding the GM title himself while he searched for an outside hire. That search ran more than a year and stalled for a stretch last winter. Elias said he talked with roughly 10 to 12 candidates before the conversations with Banner started, and that once they did, the fit was obvious.
He was also candid about the gap Banner is meant to fill. Elias acknowledged that Baltimore's baseball operations department has stayed small and that the club hadn't brought in a major outside voice in years — a perspective he said the Orioles were missing. Banner is the most significant external front office addition since Elias himself arrived from Houston in November 2018.
Banner, for his part, said he wasn't looking to leave Chicago. What changed his mind was the pitch to build a perennial contender, followed by meetings with Griggs and ownership. He ticked through the selling points — the franchise's history, the ballpark, the fan base, owners who want to win — and saved the most emphasis for the talent already in the system. He told reporters he believes the Orioles have a top-five farm system in baseball.
'Comfortable Being Uncomfortable'
If Banner wanted to send one message about his personality, it was that he did not come to Baltimore to nod along.
Asked to name his greatest strength, he pointed to a willingness to challenge people and to get uncomfortable — and he applied that directly to his new boss. Banner said he and Elias will have uncomfortable conversations at times, that there will be tension, and that the friction is part of how an organization improves. He called the trait "a gift and a curse."
He returned to the theme when asked how he plans to get struggling players back on track, saying the organization will challenge all of its processes. His core player development idea is straightforward: make practice look more like the game, so the game itself gets easier.
He was careful, too, not to come off as a newcomer dismissing the people already in the building. Banner said he's been impressed by the staff he's met in his first week and hopes the learning goes both ways.
Banner's Résumé
Banner, 40, is a Brooklyn native who captained the Amherst College baseball team as an outfielder in 2007. His 18 years in baseball operations run through three organizations:
- Boston Red Sox (2007-18): Started as a baseball operations fellow and worked through player development, amateur scouting and player personnel, finishing as vice president of player personnel overseeing pro scouting, including in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Mexico. Boston won three World Series during his tenure.
- New York Mets (2018-20): Executive director of player development, running the minor league system.
- Chicago Cubs (2020-26): Vice president of special projects, then vice president of player development in 2022-23, and assistant general manager starting in January 2024.
He also becomes the first Black general manager in Orioles history and the eighth in MLB history, something he said he takes seriously because of what it could mean to a kid in Baltimore watching him at that podium.
What Comes Next
Tuesday also offered a few concrete signals for the offseason:
- Starting pitching is the priority. Elias said rotation upgrades are firmly on the table and indicated the club is aiming higher than the back end of the staff, even with what he called a promising group of internal arms.
- Continuity on the coaching staff, if possible. Banner, who now oversees coaches, said the club is still working through staffing for manager Craig Albernaz but hopes to keep the group largely intact, while acknowledging that others could leave for bigger opportunities.
- The front office is growing. Elias said expansion of baseball operations is on the agenda, and Banner will lead several searches over the next couple of weeks.
- He's doing his homework on the franchise. Banner has already spoken with Albernaz, Adam Jones and Jim Palmer — he made sure to return Palmer's call immediately — and has lunch scheduled with Cal Ripken Jr. on Wednesday.
Takeaways
This is a real handoff, not a title change. Putting players, coaches, development and health under Banner gives him direct ownership of the area where Baltimore has struggled most since 2024: established young players stalling or regressing. If the next wave of Orioles talent develops better than the last, Banner will get the credit. If it doesn't, it will be on him.
Elias is betting on his strength. By keeping scouting, the draft, trades and contracts, Elias is leaning into the part of the job that built the 2023-24 contenders. The flip side is just as clear — the roster moves of this coming winter, starting with the search for a top-of-the-rotation arm, will be his to answer for.
The 'better than I am' line was strategic, too. Publicly crediting a new hire as superior in his own areas gives Banner instant authority in a department that hasn't had a new outside voice at the top in years. It also signals to the staff that his ideas carry weight from day one.
Tension is the point. Banner's promise of uncomfortable conversations was the most memorable part of his own remarks, and it's exactly what Elias said the organization had been missing. Whether that friction produces better decisions will be measured in the standings, not at the podium.
Banner's message to a frustrated fan base was short. He acknowledged the last two years have been rough and that the front office shares the frustration, and promised a team Baltimore can be proud of. The work starts with an offseason that begins in earnest once the World Series ends and free agency opens.