End of Season Press Conference w/ President of Baseball Operations & GM Mike Elias | Orioles

End of Season Press Conference w/ President of Baseball Operations & GM Mike Elias | Orioles

Thank all of you and the fans and the very very many people that care about this team and this franchise for your support this season and the ongoing support and uh um fandom that that uh you provide for our players. Um this was a difficult and trying year. Um and we appreciate you believing in these guys and hanging with these guys. Um, we as an organization have talked a lot about our disappointments with this season and I’ve talked a lot and um, there’s certainly a lot of meditation going on um, ongoing behind the scenes, but um, this season is over and our off season is beginning and uh, we are pointed forward and we’re working toward next year and that’s my entire fixation right now is improving our season next year and bouncing back to where this group of players and this organization can and should be. We have despite the uh disappointments that we all experienced this year, we have a lot of talent in this building and I mean the front office and the coaching staff and the organization um and particularly in the clubhouse and we have the talent to write the ship and bounce back. So um we’re focused on that going forward. There’s a lot of work ahead of us. Um, our goal for this off season is to have a team when we start in Sarasota, um, to have a team that we all believe and that the baseball world believes and the rest of the division believes is of equality to compete for the division title in 2026. So, we’re going to try to put that team together this winter and um I will be laser focused on on that work. Mike, what’s the process going to be to find a new manager? Is there going to be a wide search? Is Tony Manscelino going to be involved in it? Thanks. Yeah, I’ll I’ll um just talk about that topic generally. Um first of all uh the timing um the understanding the timing, the manner, the um context around how Tony got that assignment um and everything that he needed to do and was in front of him and work through. Um, we think he did a terrific job as the interim manager um with that particular assignment in 2025 with where the players were, with where the organization was. Um, I thought he added a lot of value and did a great job with that assignment and I got a chance to work with him much more closely during this and I’m very impressed with him as I’ve gotten to know him more and I think he’s a very talented guy and um has a lot of skills that would add up to a great major league manager now or in the future. Um, I’ve told him that we are going to utilize the opportunity of having the permanent share vacant to talk to other people and learn and see who is available, who’s interested, and figure out who the right fit is for this team for 2026. That process is going to include him, and he will be a real candidate. But I expect we are um going to um talk to other people and um we’re initiating that process imminently. Mike, to follow up on that um you know Tony described his interim experience as a fourmonth interview process of its own. You know you obviously get you just mentioned you got to work closely with him, got to see how he thinks. Um, do you feel that he needs to interview again formally for this position? Well, I guess I haven’t um mapped out the x’s and o’s of what our selection process is going to look like. It’s not going to be entirely my decision. Um, you know, the the uh different members of the ownership group um will be very involved. Other members of baseball operation, Katie Griggs, members of her side of the organization, I’m I’m sure will be involved. So my experience with these processes and I’ve been a part of three in my career. Um they’re broad, they’re thorough, there’s a lot of people involved, there’s a lot of different aspects to it. Mike, uh let’s talk about your your pro your promotion and what do you expect to also concurrently uh hire a hire a general manager and what would be that person’s duties? Yes. So, um I know that came out in a bit of an unusual way. Um that was an arrangement that we reached this year um in the spring, early in the spring. Um and at that point in time with everything that we had going on, it wasn’t a huge immediate priority um for me to announce that or for us to announce that. Um, and you know, as as uh we got into the season and things started to go the way that they went, um, it was nowhere near my mind at that time to to address that situation. But, um, that is the case. It it does um provide us the ability uh to utilize the general manager title in a way that many many other organizations and a growing number of other organizations are starting to utilize it to beef up the throughput but also the talent in the front office. Um and it’s something that we have begun to consider and explore. Um but obviously it’s got to be the right person, the right fit for the Orioles, for the org, um for the whole situation and um it may not happen imminently, but that is a pathway that’s available to us and it’s something that we may be interested in doing it. It may be this offseason that it may not be. Can you explain a little bit more about what this if you do decide to hire another GM, what this person would be doing that’s different from what you do now? I think the answer to that very much depends on who it is. Um I think what’s very clear to me is um there’s a lot of work in baseball operations now running these departments on a day-to-day basis. It’s a it’s a ton of of work. We have a relatively small baseball operations department still and we have room to grow and we’re also very interested in outside perspectives and outside talent. Um, so that can come in different profiles and backgrounds and job duties and it’s something that I think we would tailor depending on on who the person is. But there’s um, you know, certainly room for more high level contributions to our department. We want people that can help us, but we also want people that can challenge us in a lot of areas, you know, especially after you come off of a year where the um, organization didn’t meet its goals. Mike, did your did your job change at all with this title or will it change at all if you bring in somebody in that GM role underneath of you? Yeah, I think um you know if we bring anyone high level in to the uh to the front office um absolutely will will change the constructs of like the day-to-day way that that I use my time. Mike, uh, a lot of the talk this year was about improving the rotation, you know, for next year, but as the season went on, the offense continued to struggle and some young players did not take steps forward. How much of a priority now is the offense and improving that for 20 and 26 and and do you have to look outside the organization? Yeah, when when you have a season that misses the mark by this much, um you know, there’s a lot of on the list of what went wrong, but you know, certainly that was um amongst the most um I don’t know if I want to say surprising, but um kind of fundamental that a lot of our our core uh drafted players that have formed the spine of not only this winning team the last few years, but the rebuild leading into But um a lot of them, most of them um were hurt or had down ears or stagnating in some form or fashion. And you know, it’s definitely concerning to watch and concerning to watch it happen to a lot of them simultaneously. I mean, that that was a big factor in our record. Um we have talked a lot um with them individually about it. um you know they’re all I think all of us in the org um you know there’s a lot of soulsearching and looking in the mirror and individually what could each of us done better to get a better result for the team and that definitely applies to those guys. Um we’ve talked about it. We’re formulating plans and we’re going to do everything that we can um to kind of have them bounce back and get back on track. very very very confident that that’s going to happen with this group and it’s obviously a huge factor for the team next year. Um but the talent in those guys and the um work ethic and the mindset all points to optimism. Uh Mike, you mentioned uh the that your new title came to together in the spring. Was that something David presented you or or was that something that you kind of advocated for um for yourself and you discussed uh the responsibilities with um you know a future potential general manager moving forward will depend on the person. Um I guess are there any um general characteristics or attributes of um a potential GM that that you’re looking for? Yeah, that’s um that’s something that comes from above me and um like I said the we we made the arrangement in the spring. Um, I I you know, I don’t I don’t necessarily when it whether it’s the manager position that’s open or uh the potential GM hire, I don’t necessarily want to break down an exact profile of skills or scouting report that that we’re going to need or going to emphasize. Um, I think it’s about a general package and talent and personality. Um, I think when you have these really high level jobs open in this business, there’s by nature only a certain number of people every year that have kind of put themselves in position through their success or their team success and their achievements and their resume to be considered at that time. Like it’s not a real long list any given year. And um you go into the process, you assess, you try to learn these people as well as you can and and weigh and choose who’s the right person for your situation, for your team at that time. And I think that applies to, at least the way I see it, these types of high level hires. Mike, uh when you took over the job, John gave you pretty free reign and he and he let you do a lot of what needed to be done in a rebuilding team. Could you talk about though the difference now in terms of limitations you might have had financially versus now? Um, I’ll say what I’ve been saying very consistently. I’m extremely impressed with this ownership group, the people that are in it, the way that it’s set up, the wherewithal financially, but also business acumen that they have. And I’ve been a part of a lot of good ones. St. Louis, Houston, like I’ve seen a lot of high-erforming, well- reggarded ownership group and um this group has a chance to be very elite and impactful for Baltimore. Um so I’m excited about it. It’s a plus. Um and they’re going to make available everything that we need to responsibly invest in the team and the baseball operation and the stadium and the facilities. you know, you don’t want to be wasteful and um you know, you don’t do it for its own sake, but uh these guys are a huge positive for us and um I’m very blessed to have that uh behind me. Mike, what did you learn from last offseason, the free agent, you know, acquisitions you made and you know, some of them did not maybe work out the way you expected. Uh and how does that change this offseason and the aggression that you bring to the table? Um yeah, I mean I think um like any offseason or season, you know, it’s you rarely hit on 100% of moves. I mean it does happen. Um we had mixed results with acquisitions this year um and probably more mixed than we would want or to our standards and that was definitely a factor in how the season went. you look at each individual case and the decision um how it was made and there are oftent times where I got a really bad outcome but I look back at the process and how the decision was arrived at and if you’re really being honest which I try to be you you know you say okay I could see how it happened and you might do that again if you went back in time and it just didn’t work out well then there’s others where um I we’ve learned or taken constructive criticism on ourselves about how how we arrived at that decision. Um, and I try to continuously do that. It’s something I think if you come up in baseball as a talent evaluator and a operator executive, it’s hard. Um, you should be doing that. And so, um, you know, we’ve definitely think that there’s things that we can draw on, improve our process. Um, there’ll be other challenges ahead as well, and we’ll have to adapt to those circumstances as well. But like I said, our goal for this off season is to have a team on February 8th or whatever the pitchers and catchers day is where um we like the way it looks, Baltimore likes the way it looks. The American League East and the baseball world uh is excited about that team and um it’s a group of players that we say we’re going to we’re going to be right in the hunt for the division title. So that’s our that’s our goal going into spring training. Mike, what options are you considering for the rest of the coaching staff under Manscelino? And uh is John Mabry going to be a candidate for potentially manager or something else? I think um I first of all with um John I I I thought he was a great uh addition to our staff. I think he um provided uh a lot of of um baseball insight and a presence that was very helpful in stabilizing our season. I mean, our season got better. it wasn’t, you know, what what it really needed to be or should be in the second half, but um I do feel like um we we stabilized in a good way and and had some positive developments um over the second half of the season and John was a great contributor to that. Um and we’ve all really enjoyed working with him. I never use this press conference the day after the season ends. It’s not even October yet to announce um any type of personnel moves whether that’s scouting, coaching, front office um anywhere in the organization. I just I I just don’t think that’s fair. Um so we’ll we’ll see how the pieces come together and what happens over the next couple weeks, but that’s all that’s all pressing business for our front office as it always is after a season. Mike, are you open to or are you willing to hiring an experienced manager who would want to have some say in kind of the goings on of this organization and how things are done? And do you think there could be a benefit to kind of a relatively young clubhouse with young hitters that have kind of declined over the past couple years of having a more veteran manager? Yes, I do. Um, I think experience when you go into any type of hiring process, experience is usually overwhelmingly usually a big positive. Um, it is, uh, in our particular situ, excuse me, in our particular situation, um, I think it’ll it’ll definitely carry a lot of weight given all the factors that you just described. Um if you look at history uh it is not a requisite for success managerial success um and it’s not necessary and nor does it guarantee the success. So um kind of like I said earlier it’ll all be weighed in the portfolio of the candidate and there are other perceived strengths and um and areas of um lacking. you know, we’ll just look at the whole picture and the person and and try to decide who’s best for us right now, but uh you know, I experience will definitely be an attractive feature by and large. Mike, Mike, when you have the season that you have with so many injuries, um, and a lot of soft tissue injuries as well, I know it’s a part of the game, but did it happen at a rate that makes you want to kind of look at the training regimen or you guys’ rehab and regimen and uh, and maybe alter that going forward? Yeah. Um uh it’s been a major factor not only in this year but in in 2024, a big factor in our 2024 second half. Um kind of the downturn there. Um it’s a big factor around the league. We had a lot this year and last year and more than our fair share. Of course, it always makes you look I think a tricky part of my job, whether it’s health stuff or even just baseball stuff on the field is separating things that were um misfortune versus things that we could have done something better and we could have controlled better. Um I do I think we have a lot of talent in this organization in the medical staff and in uh the strength staff and that kind of whole performance area. Um, it’s an area where the sport’s growing a lot and we need to grow a lot and I do expect we’ll have hiring and restructuring and evolution to try to get better. Um, but that’s not to say that that’s why a bunch of injuries happen, but are we asking ourselves that question? Are we looking at it? And are there certain cases where we could have done something better? Yeah, but um, not like all of these cases. So, uh, we’re parsing through that. Right. Are you able to provide an update on Kirstad and what he’s dealing with? Yeah, H um uh has been working uh with our doctors and other doctors on a uh a medical condition. um he’s responded favorably to some treatment and some some different treatments that they’ve they’ve done recently and he’s in a good spot right now and pointed in the right direction and we’re going to see him at spring training and I’m really looking forward to that because we we missed um you know the real the real H Kirststad this year. Sorry, is that related to the previous medical condition you had a few years ago? I I don’t want to go in any more detail than that. Thanks Mike. like you’ve touched on in a couple of different avenues today. Um can can you share maybe the largest lesson you’ve learned over these last 12 months and how you plan to apply that lesson to the next 12 months? Um you you have to you have to evolve, you have to adapt in in this game. Um that’s always been the case. Um but you know I I I think that’s a the most uh concise lesson I can I can draw for you. Mike, you’ve mentioned bu building a strong team that when you get to spring training that you’re happy with. I mean, what what do you kind of see as the biggest roster holds right now? What what do you need to add to get this team back to a competitive level? Um, I think that’s going to be a a dialogue publicly, hot stove, and, you know, as we see each other at the GM meetings and the winter meetings, we’ll talk about that in all detail. I don’t I don’t like to use this press conference right after the season to start breaking down the roster. Um, I think a lot of us that a lot of you that follow the team closely probably have some really good ideas and they’re probably really similar to mine and the teams, but um, I look forward to kind of having that whole conversation and all that activity out in out in public um, the next the next several weeks and months. Mike, you mentioned Katie Griggs is somebody who whose input you would like in hiring a manager. what what kind of input would the business operations or Katie have in terms of that process? Oh man, I mean, you know, you have a real integrated um in a in a well functioning organization, business and baseball. there’s a lot of overlap and a lot of cooperation that happens and um there’s a lot of interaction with the manager’s chair and also she wants the team to win and and be successful and um she’s got experience in baseball and worked at another worked for Seattle and um is very bright and has a lot of um good judgment on uh on hiring. So, we’re tapping into that resource, but we’re all part of one team. And um I think one of the big things I’m most excited about with this ownership group is the growth and development and um talent that we’ve brought in on the business side of the operation. And uh you know, we’re going to be seeing a lot of cool new stuff here at Camden Yards as as a result of those. So, we we all work together very closely. Mike, uh, is there sort of a timetable for when you’d like to land on figuring out who the next manager is going to be? And with the GM, it sounds like that could be yes or no with in terms of a timetable there. That’s part of the question. The other part has to deal with the offseason. Mr. Rubenstein said um, he’s willing to spend when you sign Bisio. Where do things stand in terms of meetings at the offseason and what can you tell the fan base in terms of spending on free agency in the offseason? um ASAP for the manager. I uh got a very busy off season ahead of me. Um a lot of player business as usual, but a lot of player business this off season and a lot of hiring and then also, you know, we tend to lose people to other organizations. Then you gota So, we have a lot in front of us and getting getting the manager in as early as possible. I also think there’s going to be a lot of competition on the managerial market this year. So, um ASAP there. Um, I think I touched on the the ownership um ability, willingness to to spend already, but um, you know, it’s it’s there and it’s just about doing so wisely and, uh, making the rubber hit the road that’s, uh, so important. And I can’t recall what your third question was, if there was one. What about the GM situation? It does seem as pressing. I think it’s pressing for us to get better as a front office to bolster to um you know continue to evolve um learn about press pra best practices get talent in. It’s just that position that’s not something I’m going to force on a certain timetable and it’s going to have to be right. Mike obviously not the results you guys wanted at the big league level. It did afford you guys the opportunity to go out and and make some prospect trades at the deadline. Obviously a big draft for you guys as well. Um, considering some of those prospects you got back and and those that have been acquired recently, where do you feel like the farm system stands going into next season? I think, uh, we like where it is. I think it’s in a better spot than it was at the beginning of the season, and a lot of that’s because of the July activities, meaning the draft and the trades. Um, I really like our upper level pitching depth right now. Um, you know, I think, uh, we’ve got a number of guys that can factor into 2026, which is exciting. And that there’s guys I could picture making the team out of camp. A lot of guys that I can picture being in major league camp, but then sort of starting the year in double A or AAA, but sort of being on the radar screen for later in the season. Um, and so that’s that’s exciting to me. And I think, you know, we’re um I I believe we got a a top 10 farm system right now, which is um good currency uh for us in the off season, not to mention what those young players might do for this organization a little deeper into the future. Mike, with attendance with attendance down and the willingness uh from the ownership to spend, do you think it’s important symbolically to the fan base to be an aggressive spender this uh this off season? Um I think that this was a very disappointing season and um you know there’s a lot of fallout from from that and uh you know it’s affects your attendance in in this business when when you don’t play the the way that you want to play. Um and um you know, we’re we’re aware of that and we’re going to uh put together a team that we and others are excited about going into next season and I think that uh things will take care of themselves if we if we do what we got to do on the field and win. my you’ve basically been talking since May about the level of self assessment going on in in your office and um just I think your words were looking sort of all over the warehouse and how you do things. You bring up bringing potentially outside voices at manager, GM to kind of challenge you, mix stuff up, but is there anything on the public facing end of baseball operations that you point to as an example of a way that you’ve changed the way you do things from the results of this season? I think it’s um you know hard to um point to a second half in in 2025 as uh you know a good um showcase for uh you know front office philosophies and and uh moves. Um but I uh I’m really looking forward to the winter and um putting together a better team next year and and having a better season. And there’s a lot behind the scenes that’s going into that and that that we’re doing to make ourselves better. Mike, um I wanted to drill down on the general manager situation. Wouldn’t it seem that that would be important to get the general manager in place and have his input on who the manager would be? Yeah, I think if um if if we’re going to u add and acquire one this winter, that would definitely be the preference to do it in in that order. Um but that that may not uh take take place this this this winter. Um I think um it’s mostly about the availability that we have to utilize that title to access and acquire top front office talent. around the league going forward and and people that can bolster and supplement us but also challenge us. But um you know the the manager um search has its own timetable and that’s a decision whether it’s going to be Tony or somebody else that we want to make um ASAP. Mike, your young core hitters that have declined or underperformed over the past two seasons have since they entered the organization kind of had the same hitting philosophies taught to them and and a lot of the same hitting coaches. Do you think that there need to be changes either in the messengers or the messaging to your young hitters considering their decline over the past two years? Yeah, it’s a um a great question. Um, it has brought a lot of success, but like I said, you know, you’ve got to adapt and evolve and adjust in this business. The competition’s always changing. The landscape’s always changing. That applies to players. That applies to front offices. That applies to player development people, coaches. Um, and so we’re we’re certainly weighing that and addressing it. And are we going to do things exactly the same next year? Absolutely not. Mike, you’ve said twice today that the goal for next year is to be in the mix for the AL East title. Is it reasonable then to assume that it’s the goal for this organization to win a World Series next season? Yeah, absolutely. That’s I think it’s the goal for every organization. I think there’s a group of players that we have that um we feel like we’re uh platforming us to do that and we have the chance to do that in in 2026. I speak that way because first things first is the regular season and you’ve got 162 game regular season and um winning the division is a huge accomplishment and then the playoffs kind of come after that but um I don’t you look you try to build a team that’s going to win the AL East that’s a pretty good team for um World Series aspirations too. Mike, you talked before the season about the depth that you had as starting pitcher and then all the injuries kind of happened at once and you went into the season with several of those guys missing. What What did you learn from from that scenario and being able to rely on pitchers health versus their track records and how does that maybe shape your approach this winter? Yeah, I mean that that is the nature of pitching nowadays. Um so I don’t know if I learned that but it’s definitely a reminder and um that’s why you need all that depth. Um, I do think what we uh experienced at the beginning part of the year that would have been hard to plan for. I mean, it would have taken a lot of overkill to play to plan for losing all that depth. Um, but um, we do need to put together a better uh just overall pitching staff going in going into next season to guard against stuff like that, but also to raise the ceiling of the team, too. One positive from the pitching group, Trevor Rogers. obviously kind of a breakout season. How confident are you in his ability to replicate this year? And with him as kind of a frontline starter, do you imagine him as your number two next year? And don’t want to get too into player personnel decisions, but just how confident are you in Trevor entering next year? Um, first of all, really um proud and admire what he did um to build himself back up. I think um you know he did a lot of work but our strength and pitching people um and medical people too you was hurt at the beginning of the year um did a lot to put him in that position and it’s been in a in a rough year one of the better success stories around the organization. one of the bright things as we look ahead to 2026 um to have him kind of on the trajectory that he’s at right now. Um I think I think it’s hard for anyone to repeat an erra in the ones um especially in this day and age. So I don’t saying that we’re expecting or needing that, but I do think um he has cemented himself as a front of the rotation type of starter going into next year. Whether that’s the one, two, or the three starter is going to depend on what we do and and who we get. Um but uh pretty safe to say he’s going to be, you know, one of our our top of the fold guys in the rotation and we’re very very excited about that. Mike, after his comeback to the rotation this year, can you get a full season innings-wise out of Kyle Bradish in 2026? And a followup to that would be you talked about Trevor and Bradish, you know, that’s a top one two. Do you need a strong number three to go with them? I Yeah, I mean I would like a a strong front half of the rotation guy to to go to go with those if if we can and we’ll, you know, we’ll be on the hunt for for pitching improvements um in that area and and others. Um I you know I think Bradish’s innings is something that we’re going to have to keep an eye on, but I do think there’s a way and a possibility um to uh keep him up and running full season in a responsible way next year. And um the platform that he’s provided in terms of what he’s how many innings he’s thrown and how those innings went this year were about as good as you would have hoped for coming off of the injury. So, we feel like he’s um you know in in a in a great spot. When a season doesn’t go the way that is planned, obviously there are questions about what’s going on in the clubhouse and and leadership and all of those things. Do you do you feel like especially after the trade deadline that the young core hitters are capable or willing or able to step up into those leadership roles? Well, they’re doing it. I’m watching them do it and I’m talking to them about it and I’m seeing the growth and I’m hearing the growth and something like this I think accelerates that out of necessity. Um and um had a lot of conversations the last couple of months but also the last couple of days um with our guys and we’re all um ashamed of this and and motivated by it and frustrated by what happened and that includes them too. um you know and um I think you know leadership is something in all levels of an organization that has a huge impact and that we will try uh to feel good about as we put the team together um in terms of staffing but also the player roster with Felix Batista undergoing surgery that’s expected to sideline him into next season having already undergone Tommy John before. I mean, just how big of a blow is that for the bullpen, not just next year, but moving forward and and how you have to kind of address it? Yeah, it’s been a huge blow since he went down at the end of 2023. I mean, that was one of the elite players in the game. Uh he the way he was pitching about as good as it gets as a closer in 2023. And we’ve missed him ever since. And to have him come back and look pretty good after uh the surgery and then have this happen. Um, you know, it’s been it’s been it’s been rough. So, he’s got another long road ahead of him. Um, hopeful that he can be back at toward the end of 2026. Um, but there’s a lot of time and and work that’ll have to go into it um between now and then, but he’s done it before. Tony said a few times just how important Tyler O’Neal could be next year and just how how much of a boost he could be if he’s able to stay healthy and be a centerpiece of the lineup. just how how high is your level of confidence still that he can be that and can be a core piece of this team moving forward? From what I see as an evaluator, the talent is is there. I mean, the the the power uh the swing, the way he moves in the outfield. Um you know, that that that player is in there. He wasn’t able to um express the type of production that he’s done in his best years this year because he wasn’t available that much. and that’s been a part of his history. Um, and we know that. And, um, I think he’s a tremendous roster fit for our group when he’s up and running and going good and he’s a guy that can carry a lineup when he’s when he’s doing that. I mean, it’s really high impact, middle of the order threat. Um, when he’s on a roll. Um, just talk to him extensively. He’s frustrated, too. And now that we’ve had him for a year, um, you know, we’re talking with him and and trying to u plan out ways uh to to do as best as we can to keep him in tiptop form for as much as possible next year because I do think he can really raise the ceiling of this team and I’m optimistic about it. Mike, uh, you got a big hole at the end of the games now. With the h injury history that Tyler Wells has had, do you still see him as a starter who could get up to 140, 150 innings, or do you think he might be more valuable in a late inning role? This has always been a a conversation with Tyler for years because he’s good at both. Um, which is impressive. You know, not a lot of people can do that. and he also just hasn’t happened to had the innings load um you know get through a whole 170 180 season healthy as a start he hasn’t proven he can do it at the major league level whether that’s something he can control or not I don’t really know but it just hasn’t happened yet so it’s always a little bit tempting to have the reliever conversation with him but starting pick if you got a guy that can start and be good as a starter that’s really valuable and you always try to stick with that and so Um, you know, that’s the plan with Tyler. I thought he looked really good. It was great to have him back and he’s a big part of our team kind of spiritually, too. And, um, that was wonderful getting him back. Whatever he’s doing next year, um, he’s going to be a big part of the pitching staff. Uh, but we’re planning on him as a uh, as a rotation option over the course of this winter. Mike, after you guys extended Samuel Basio, there was a lot of um discourse and and some reports about what this could mean for the future of Adley Rutman in this organization. Is are you is the front office committed to Adley remaining what he’s been so far, which is a cornerstone of this team? And and given that, just how disappointing has his past year and a half been, and are you still confident that he can get back to the player that he was just a few years ago? Yes, Adley’s the guy. Um, he will be our frontline catcher. Um, frustrating season for him coming off of a frustrating second half. And, you know, he’s aware of it, we’re all aware of it, we’re all working on it. Um, there was some injuries sprinkled in this year that that I think were a factor in him kind of getting out of sync again. We saw flashes of him offensively the way that he can and should be. I thought he had a great defensive season and um he uh does a great job leading our pitching staff. Um so he’s a key guy uh for this whole thing. There’s no way around that. And we’re going to we’re going to work with him to restore his presence in baseball as an all-star. Um but he’s going to be, you know, front and center as our as our starting catcher. And uh there’s plenty of I hope we were encouraged with the way Sammy caught in the majors, too. Um and uh there’s definitely room uh to have two really good catchers at the major league level. That’s a good problem to have. And as I’ve talked about also, you know, Sammy and Adley can can DH and Sammy can play first base. Um so there’s a lot of uh playing time to go around between those two guys and I’m glad that we have both of them together. Mike, after kind of injuries were the name of the game the last two seasons, how are you going into this off seasonason to kind of prevent that from happening again? Also taking into account the added strength in the farm system. Yeah. Uh we’re going to do the best that we can to um bring these players into into spring training in one piece and and you know keep keep them um keep them on track throughout the season. you know, we we have a lot of um discussions about that and we’ll continue to bring in as much expertise as we feel that we we need to um control weak control in in that area and and get good outcomes and um yeah, I think our farm system is a um asset for the future, but it help I think we’re going to be in a position to have trade conversations and and be competitive because we do have um a good farm system right now. Um, Mike, we we asked Tony about small ball strategies and base running, things like that, and he he those sort of was most critical areas of of the team where he suggested that the team might need I think what he described as a 90s style spring training um sort of harder fundamentals focused. Felt like maybe he was talking about more than just the topic at hand on that. I mean, obviously Tony’s manager, I’m sure he’ll institute the spring training he wants, but is the spring training practice sort of under consideration and what you guys do there no matter who the new manager is? Yeah, I look, this is a highly competitive league and game and division. Um, the team that finished last in our division last year just won it. And uh it just shows how small the margins are and you’ve got to stay on top of everything and be as good as you can be in all these different facets and there’s just a lot that that goes into it and there’s constantly areas where you feel a little bit behind. You want to get a little bit better and then over here something else develops and um there’s just so many fine points to the game that you’ve really got to stay on top of. um it’s not up to me to get down there and dictate our our fundamentals. That’s not u my expertise, but we’ve got to put together staffs and communication systems and um people that have the right philosophies in in all those areas and and stay on top of it. So that’s something that um the person in the manager’s chair, people in the front office, um people in our ownership group, just everyone available who are who are experts in this area, we’re going to put a lot of time into getting organized and and um getting a little bit better next year. Is Grayson Rodriguez expected to be ready for the start of spring training? And just how much do you feel like you can depend on him to be healthy for a full season? is being in the bullpen, shifting to a bullpen role in consideration. He Yeah, he he is expected to be ready. Um he’s going to start a throwing ramp up um next month, meaning October, and get some throwing in um before the holidays, and then uh prepare for the season after that as he would. So, there’s nothing to medically suggest that he won’t be ready. And he’s very determined and very unhappy about what happened last year. Um, and I I think he’s kind of a got an underdog under the radar mentality right now, which is good. And I think he’s due for some good luck on the injury front after what happened last year. That said, we’re cognizant that he threw zero innings and that he finished 2024 hurt. And so we’re going to have to kind of plan um with those realities in mind, but uh um I am bullish about his situation. Is the hope with Grayson that whatever was going on with his elbow and if that’s fixed that that can also help prevent the lat issues because the lat has been a significant factor here over the past few years with him as well. I think it’s definitely a possibility. Um, but I can’t speak to that with um, you know, huge confidence right now at this moment in my position at at this time. But, um, you know, they’re um, we’re trying to get his mechanics and and health into a good place and get him back to what he’s been before. Thanks. Thanks, guys.

President of Baseball Operations & General Manager Mike Elias addresses the media at the conclusion of the 2025 MLB season.

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