The Baltimore Orioles entered the 2025 season with some buzz and a potential playoff trip on the horizon. Those talks have quickly subsided with a poor start to the year. As of May 20, the Orioles are dead last in the American League East with a 15-31 record, and have the second-worst record in the American League, with only the Chicago White Sox trailing them.
Things are not going well in Baltimore, which led to the firing of manager Brandon Hyde, in a highly debated move. However, the Hyde fallout has been a big one, and one former MLB executive sent a message after the decision by Baltimore.
Jim Bowden Shares Message After Orioles Fire Brandon Hyde
Due to a 15-28 start, the Orioles fired Hyde in hopes of rejuvenating the clubhouse. Former MLB executive Jim Bowden spoke about what he told Baltimore GM Mike Elias after the move during Tuesday’s episode of the Foul Territory show .
“I texted Mike Elias after the news came out about the firing, and I told him I know it’s a difficult decision,” Bowden said. “I said, ‘I think you did what had to be done.’ At the same time, I know it’s the worst part of the job of being a GM or a President. Having to fire the manager or releasing a player, that’s the worst part, because you are firing a friend, you are firing a family, and although you think the relationship can stay the same afterwards, because it’s a business decision, it really doesn’t.”
“The important thing that I texted him afterwards was, ‘It’s not about who you are firing, it’s about who you are hiring to replace him,'” the executive turned analyst added. “I wasn’t aware at the time that he was hiring Tony Mansolino to be the interim manager for the rest of the year.”
"It's not about who you fired, it's about who you hired to replace him."@JimBowdenGM reveals what he told Mike Elias after he fired Brandon Hyde. 👇 pic.twitter.com/UeN6KqXGSI
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV)
The Orioles named Tony Mansolino as the interim manager as they begin their search for the next manager. It was a tough time for the Orioles as a team after Hyde was fired. Center fielder Cedric Mullins even said he thinks he “failed” Hyde. “I feel like I failed him in a way, just not being able to perform continuously and help get us some wins across the board,” Mullins said.
Veteran pitcher Kyle Gibson also spoke about the news and said, “Feeling like you’re part of getting a manager fired is a gut punch. Hyder was an awesome person. To not have him around stinks.”
The players’ comments prove that it is no secret how much Hyde meant to the team and the presence he had in the locker room. Now, as Bowden pointed out on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see what the Orioles do on the manager front in the long term, especially since things look very rough for the remainder of the 2025 season with a low number in the W column and a lot of holes on the roster.