It appears highly unlikely that Orioles GM Mike Elias will make a managerial decision public until after the disappointing 2025 season mercifully ends on Sept. 28 at Yankee Stadium.
That doesn’t mean Elias hasn’t made a decision on the future of Orioles interim skipper Tony Mansolino. During his post-trade-deadline news conference, Elias was asked by MLB.com’s Jake Rill about when he would turn his attention to the managerial search. His answer was telling:
“Tony continues to do a great job keeping the team on track. We’ve seen improvement, and we’ve really liked what he’s done and the spirit of the team under his helm. With the deadline and the draft over, I’m turning over my focus to setting up the organization for 2026. That includes thinking about that position.”
Mansolino has been the manager since mid-May. If Elias hadn’t made up his mind by early August, what could his manager do in the next two months with a depleted team to prove he is deserving of a second season?
Assuming I am right about that, here is my list of seven potential candidates for the position:
Mark DeRosa
DeRosa currently co-hosts the popular “MLB Central” program with Robert Flores and Lauren Shehadi on MLB Network. He has no major league managerial experience, but he played in the big leagues for 16 years and received rave reviews for his work as the manager of Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He is slated to serve in that role again next year.
DeRosa would be an attractive candidate for any opening this year. It’s hard to imagine that he’d turn down the chance with what a big league managerial gig would pay. He’s a crowd pleaser and would be a very popular choice because of his great communication skills.
Bob Geren
Geren has worked under Dodgers manager Dave Roberts since 2016, first as a bench coach and now as the major league field coordinator. He played in parts of five big league seasons as a catcher before serving as a minor league manager in the Red Sox organization in the ‘90s.
An old friend of former Athletics GM Billy Beane, Geren worked in various roles for Beane prior to serving as Athletics manager from 2007-2011. After that, he served as the Mets’ bench coach from 2012-2015 and was praised by then-Mets GM Sandy Alderson for his understanding of the analytical side of the game.
At 63 years of age, Geren may just want to stay in Los Angeles, but he has always been a well-respected baseball man who could fit in nicely with Elias.
Adam Jones
Admittedly, this is an out-of-the-box idea, but Jones would be wildly popular with the Birdland fan base — especially if the club were able to convince Jones’ longtime manager Buck Showalter to be his bench coach. I know Jones loves his lifestyle now, but he’s awfully young to give up on the payday that managing would provide for his family. I think he has the passion, if he has the interest. If you saw the Savannah Bananas’ appearance at Camden Yards on Aug. 1, you know the crowd went crazy for brief appearances by Jones and Showalter. That kind of energy is sorely needed around the Yard.
Don Mattingly
Mattingly is currently the bench coach for Blue Jays manager John Schneider. I talked to a scout recently who praised Mattingly’s baseball acumen and leadership skills. One of Mattingly’s true champions is former Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who managed him with the Yankees and played alongside him in the minor leagues in the early ‘80s.
Mattingly is very experienced, having managed the Dodgers from 2011-2015 and Marlins from 2016-2022. He also worked under legendary manager Joe Torre in Los Angeles prior to beginning his managerial career. Given Mattingly’s wealth of experience, my gut tells me he’d click with Elias.
Skip Schumaker
Schumaker is currently a senior adviser to Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young and is seen by many as the eventual successor to Bruce Bochy as the manager of the Rangers. If he is pursued by any other team, he may not sit tight and wait.
Schumaker played 11 years in the big leagues before becoming a bench coach for the Padres and Cardinals. More recently, he was the skipper of the Marlins from 2023-2024. He led the Marlins to an 84-78 season and playoff appearance during his first season in Miami. It marked the Marlins’ first winning season since 2009.
If David Rubenstein and Michael Arougheti steer this search, Schumaker could be the choice. If Elias makes the call, he may view Schumaker as too strong a personality for his taste.
Buck Showalter
I have tremendous respect for Showalter, having seen how, by the sheer force of his nature, he turned around the Orioles’ clubhouse culture after being hired by Peter Angelos and Andy MacPhail during the 2010 season. Brandon Hyde did a terrific job in this regard as well. Currently, the team seems to play a very sloppy brand of ball. With Showalter on the beat, that wouldn’t happen.
The flip side is Showalter is a control freak. I don’t see the veteran manager and Elias getting along unless ownership really wanted this. Showalter has had five bites at the apple, and I can’t think of anyone having had six. But judging by the reaction he received coaching first base for the Savannah Bananas on Aug. 1 at Camden Yards, he’d sure reinvigorate the fan base.
Shane Turner
I’ve gotten to know Turner through Ross Grimsley, who worked with him in the Giants organization. Grimsley was a minor league pitching coach, while Turner worked in various roles, including scout, minor league manager, director of player development and special adviser to then-GM Brian Sabean.
Turner is among the smartest and most practical baseball people I have ever met. I know he would be a great choice. I’ve included his name in the faint hope that Elias will see it and take a meeting with him and hire him in any capacity to help the Orioles organization. He is currently the manager of the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars and having a great time developing young players.
Honorable mention candidates: David Bell, Ryan Flaherty, Mike Redmond, Dale Sveum and Walt Weiss
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles