Welcome to Baltimore, Jared Banner. Remember to duck as the tomatoes sail your way.
If the Orioles’ new general manager needed an orientation on just how feisty this fanbase is at the moment, he got a taste when he offered a pretty tame endorsement of his new boss: “In baseball circles, which is a long way from Twitter, we know Mike [Elias] is one of the most talented executives in the game, hands down.”
Taking the jab, folks on Twitter swung back. They called Banner a yes-man, a puppet, a mere sycophant of Elias, the president of baseball operations who is hitting a wall of fan impatience after eight seasons and no playoff wins. They accused Banner of starting his tenure by taking shots at the fans to kiss up to folks in the warehouse.
But after sitting in the audience of his press conference on Tuesday morning, I think that is the wrong read on Banner and his power dynamic with Elias.
A yes-man? I think the Orioles hired Banner to be anything but.
The words that stuck out to me from Banner’s introduction were terms like “difficult conversations” and phrases like “challenge our processes” and “raise the standard.” Just one week on the job, Banner was savvy enough to not set specific goal posts for himself, but his vocabulary foreshadows change. So does his background.
Coming from two of the biggest baseball markets, in Boston and Chicago, Banner splashes into Camden Yards as a badly needed outside voice for an Orioles culture that has been seen as insular throughout baseball. Elias said Banner will take over many of the day-to-day operations of overseeing the big league club, including player development and handling players and coaches. To Banner’s credit, he showed restraint by limiting himself to just one mention of Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs outfielder everyone knows will be National League MVP and the success story that helped him get this job.
By far, this was the most telling thing Elias said all day about Banner’s proposed responsibilities: “I think he’s better than I am in those areas.”
To me, that is the point of Banner — he has strengths where Elias has shown weaknesses. Elias’ scouting background made him an ideal leader as the Orioles built their talent pipeline and expanded their use of analytics models to make decisions.
But ever since 2024, Elias has struggled to recapture the chemistry and habits of a winning baseball team. Banner’s hire is an acknowledgement that making an organization competitive and making the MLB club into a consistent contender are challenges that require different skills — and maybe that Banner knows a better way to build a winner, coming from outside the organization.
If you’re looking at the corporate flow chart, “president of baseball operations” will always be above “general manager.” But Elias and Banner, with their separate areas of expertise, feel like they’ll at least be level in terms of their power — unless you believe that Banner could have slightly even more sway than his boss in certain cases.
It’s important to note: Elias was not hired by this ownership group; he was inherited. While David Rubenstein has consistently praised him and said he has faith in Elias’ leadership, the decision to bring in a GM to handle more of the big league minutiae is a sign that the owners understand that change is necessary. Banner said he didn’t just interview with Rubenstein, but with Michael Arougheti and his partners Michael Smith and Mitchell Goldstein — the baseball wonks of the ownership group.
This is the first time that the owners have hired a baseball operations role this high in the front office. This is their first big move to put their stamp on the team after watching the last two seasons go horribly wrong. If you think they’d play that card to install a guy who is simply going to nod his head at all of Elias’ decisions and philosophies — well, I’d love to sell you some “Timeless Tickets” for front-row seats at Camden Yards when the O’s finally get to the World Series.
Ownership has given no public sense that their faith is wavering in Elias, but the growing number of pitchforks at his door has to weigh on this organization somehow. Banner said he “was not looking to leave” his high-ranking role with the Cubs. It’s hard for me to imagine that he would do so thinking his future is tied at the hip with Elias, who is already under fire.
I’m merely speculating here, but it seems much more likely that Banner has been assured multiple seasons of runway in his new role. Otherwise, what would be the point of coming here to endure a lockout this offseason and be fired at the end of 2027 if the Orioles don’t compete again?
Yes, Banner and Elias need to be aligned to give the Orioles the best possible shot at having a 2027 to look forward to. Elias needs to lean into his strengths for scouting and talent acquisition, and Banner needs to find ways to whip the big league club into shape. They talked about how they see the Orioles’ situation in a favorable light: Banner loves the team’s farm system, and that many of their top prospects could see the majors soon.
But make no mistake: The context of his hire — and Banner’s own words — suggest he’s here to roll up his sleeves and change some things.
Elias smiled when Banner offered his endorsement describing him as one of the best executives in the game. But even if his Banner’s words suggested deference, he’s the one coming in clean as a daisy, trying to straighten up the mess this organization has become.
Of the two men, it might be the boss who will have to adapt.
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