The Baltimore Orioles were one of the most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball in 2025. According to a former general manager and current MLB insider, the Orioles should fire manager Brandon Hyde.
Former GM Believes the Baltimore Orioles Must Fire Brandon Hyde
The Orioles are currently last in the American League East and continue to struggle. Nothing seems to go well for the team. More importantly, there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
Despite his success, the calls for his removal become louder. One of those voices is Jim Bowden, a former MLB general manager and current MLB Insider for The Athletic.
Bowden joined Foul Territory on Monday and offered a brutally honest assessment of Hyde and the Orioles.
“There are sometimes when a different voice is needed,” Bowden pointed out. “When I look at Baltimore, I would make a management change. I have nothing against Brandon Hyde. He’s led them to the playoffs the past two seasons. I respect him, but I don’t like what I see.
I dislike the fact that my young players are not developing, improving, or meeting my expectations. Maybe Brandon Hyde loses this job, gets the next one, and performs better.
Bowden’s claim that Hyde should be fired loses steam when he prefaces his criticism with the fact that Hyde led the team to the playoffs the previous two seasons.
Next, at what point do the young players accept responsibility and begin to improve themselves? These players worked hard to make it to the majors, and it is up to them to continue to improve. Finally, Bowden did not mention any managerial principles that Hyde lacks.
Finally, how about Mike Elias, the general manager? The entire league understood that the team required quality pitching. Instead of making significant changes to the pitching staff, Elias went with inexpensive veterans with a lot of questions. To no one’s surprise, Baltimore’s starting rotation has been awful this season.
Stacked Deck
With all of the attention focused on Hyde, Bowden appeared to ignore Orioles general manager Mike Elias. In the offseason, Baltimore was unable to replace an ace in Corbin Burne. Burnes, who went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA, left for Arizona. Elias signed Charlie Morton in an attempt to fill the void.
The 41-year-old leads the American League in all the wrong categories, including six losses, 30 earned runs, and 21 walks. When you factor in a strong 9.76 earned run average, you can see why the Orioles are losing so many games. However, the evidence that this is Hyde’s fault remains invisible.
Whether or not you develop young players, losing an ace and being unable to replace him has a negative impact on team culture. Furthermore, outfielder Anthony Santander and his monster bat left in free agency to join the Toronto Blue Jays.
Firing Hyde before the middle of May would make the Orioles appear panicked and unfocused.
