The Baltimore Orioles have their next manager.
The Orioles are finalizing a deal to hire Craig Albernaz as their manager, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. He will replace Brandon Hyde, who was fired in May in the midst of his seventh season leading the franchise.
Advertisement
Albernaz was one of the bigger names available for a manager job throughout the league this cycle. He most recently worked as an associate manager with the Cleveland Guardians, and helped guide the organization to back-to-back postseason appearances. They went 88-74 this past season, but fell in the first round of the playoffs. Albernaz has also spent time in the San Francisco Giants organization as a bullpen coach and hitting instructor. This will mark his first managerial job in Major League Baseball.
Albernaz played in the minor leagues himself, too, and reached the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A affiliate at his peak.
Advertisement
The Orioles parted with Hyde earlier this season after just a 15-28 start to the year. He made two postseason appearances with the team, most recently with a stop in the wild card round last fall, but the team had appeared to take a significant step back this season under his watch to start the year. They ended up finishing 75-87, which was their worst record since the 2021 campaign.
With the Orioles making a move, there are now just five teams in the league — the San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals — without a manager.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.