Mike Elias considers Orioles to be potential buyers at deadline despite sub-.500 record

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias acknowledged he feels pressure, considering the club has played two years of sub-.500 baseball, but Elias said that pressure is no different than what he has felt throughout his career in Major League Baseball and it won’t impact the way he operates.

Baltimore enters Saturday’s game against the Washington Nationals at 39-44, but as Elias spoke in the dugout, he noted that, despite that record, the Orioles are only 1.5 games out of the wild card.

Given that position, Elias is preparing to approach the Aug. 3 trade deadline as a buyer — although he noted the next several weeks could dictate a change in approach.

“Every single year I’ve felt pressure, and you worry about your job in this business,” Elias said. “But I think we have a really good chance of doing what we want to do, and we’re all working very hard and we’re all very optimistic about it. And … regardless of how we got here, we’re a game and a half out right now and we have everything ahead of us. I think we’re going to be good.”

Players share the optimistic view, even though their play has been riddled with mistakes on defense, uneven offensive performances and a bullpen that has wavered.

On Friday, for instance, manager Craig Albernaz said, “The inconsistency is what’s keeping me up at night.” Most fans can probably agree. There is much to be desired, but Elias said, if the trade deadline were Saturday, the Orioles would clearly be buyers.

“I know our record’s backwards, but apparently this is infecting a whole bunch of other teams, too. I can’t explain it,” Elias said regarding the lackluster American League. “The context around that’s unusual. But we’re right there. So, like I said, we’re going for it. I’ll let you know if that changes.”

Elias left the door open for the trade deadline outlook to change. There is plenty of time for the Orioles to create a revival, just as they can fall out of contention. When asked for specific positions of need, should the Orioles be buyers, Elias said he would “like to take more time before diagnosing that.”

One buzzworthy deal that doesn’t seem likely is a trade of catcher Adley Rutschman. The former top prospect has one more year of team control remaining, and there has been speculation that the Orioles would trade him before he hits the open market.

“He’s been the cornerstone, basically, since I’ve been here, so he’s an enormous part of it,” Elias said. “I wish our commitment was greater than it is. We want him here forever. That’s not something that’s crossed the desk or the agenda. Our focus, first of all, we want to get it back, but we want to win with him here.”

Rutschman is nearing a return from a concussion. This season, he’s hitting .254 with a .787 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. When Elias said he wishes Baltimore’s “commitment was greater,” it’s fair to assume he was referencing Rutschman’s contract situation.

Last year, when the Orioles got off to a poor start, Elias fired manager Brandon Hyde. This offseason, the Orioles hired Albernaz, a first-time manager, with the hopes of returning to the postseason — and, once there, making a run.

So far, the 2026 campaign hasn’t warranted much optimism, apart from the fact that the rest of the American League is also playing uninspired ball.

Elias said, at this point, a successful season would be to make the postseason. That isn’t unrealistic, given the standings, even if the level of performances appears far below that standard.

“You can’t specify exactly what you’re going to do in the playoffs. It’s very hard to do that,” said Elias, and the winless postseason appearances of 2023 and 2024 attest to that. “But this is a team, if we get in, it means we had a strong second half. And I think, if we can be relatively healthy going in, it’s going to be a pretty strong team in the playoffs with the players we have.”

The Orioles could strengthen the team by buying ahead of the trade deadline. But first they must maintain their positioning or improve their standing. And, even with the pressure Elias admittedly feels, he aims to act at the deadline without letting that dictate to him.

“I will be doing the right thing for the franchise, regardless of everything else,” Elias said. “We’re going to have to see what the standings are and what our team is looking like at that time. But we’re certainly making those preparations, and everybody in this building is in the mindset of going for it in 2026.”