What the Orioles General Manager Must Get Right Ahead of the 2027 Season

The Orioles entered 2026 hoping that a new manager and an improved roster would put them back in the postseason. Instead, they finished 79-82 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. At the club’s season-ending news conference, president of baseball operations Mike Elias acknowledged the disappointment: “We want to be better results-wise, and results need to be better.” His next challenge is to turn that admission into decisions that give Baltimore a better chance to win in 2027.

This cannot be an offseason defined only by the biggest name the Orioles acquire. Elias has to address the roster’s weaknesses while taking an honest look at why the players already in Baltimore did not produce better results. He also has to examine whether the organization is giving those players the support they need. If the Orioles want to contend again, the changes must be visible in both the team they assemble and the way that team plays.

Pitching presents one of Elias’s most important decisions. Left-hander Trevor Rogers is set to become a free agent, and Kyle Bradish was scheduled for surgery to repair a sports hernia after the season. Baltimore has other starters it can build around, but Elias cannot plan for 2027 as though every question will resolve itself. He must determine whether the Orioles have enough dependable innings already or need to add another starter before Spring Training.

The bullpen deserves the same scrutiny. A contender needs relievers it can trust when a close game reaches the late innings, especially over a long season when roles and availability change. Elias does not necessarily need to make a splashy signing, but he does need a convincing plan for those innings. Whether that plan involves an acquisition, an internal option, or both, Baltimore should not enter next season hoping its relief corps simply falls into place.

Pete Alonso showed what an impact addition can do for this lineup. In his first season with the Orioles, he hit 43 home runs and drove in 113 runs, leading the American League in both categories. Yet even that production was not enough to lift Baltimore above .500. Elias’ task is not to find another Alonso at every position; it is to build a lineup that can produce consistently around him.

That means paying close attention to the young players who remain central to the Orioles’ plans. Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and others have the talent to help lead a turnaround, but talent alone will not guarantee it. Elias has acknowledged that players can struggle to maintain their performance and stay healthy, and that the organization must do a better job supporting them. Baltimore needs to understand what held its core back in 2026 before assuming those issues will disappear in 2027.

Roster additions will mean less if the Orioles continue to give away opportunities on the field. Baltimore allowed a Major-League-high 88 unearned runs in 2026, a sign that defensive mistakes were more than an occasional frustration. Manager Craig Albernaz said “execution” repeatedly came up in his conversations with players and coaches. If that is the diagnosis, Elias and Albernaz must show how their approach to preparation and accountability will change, not just repeat the word next spring.

Some of that work has already begun, but it has not been enough. Albernaz’s staff added more pregame infield drills during the season, while players described costly mistakes and stretches in which the club struggled to play clean baseball. More drills may help, but the standard has to carry into games, particularly when one play can decide a close contest. Elias is responsible for giving the coaching staff the personnel and organizational support to make that improvement last.

The review also extends beyond the clubhouse. Elias has said he wants to bring new voices into Baltimore’s baseball operations department, potentially including a general manager who would work beneath him. That matters because the Orioles’ decisions about scouting, development, and roster construction shape far more than one offseason. The test will not be whether the front office adds titles, but whether its new perspectives help it identify problems earlier and make better decisions.

The Orioles have shown they are willing to make a major financial commitment when they believe the fit is right. Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million contract before the 2026 season, and Elias has said the club can pursue prominent free agents when it has confidence in the player. That does not mean every winter requires another deal of that size. It does mean Elias should be judged on whether he uses the club’s resources to address its most important needs, rather than on the size of any one contract.

Elias was right to say the results need to be better. After two straight seasons outside the playoffs, however, acknowledging the problem is only the starting point. By Opening Day, the Orioles should have a clearer pitching plan, a more complete roster, and a credible explanation for how they intend to play cleaner baseball. The real verdict will come later, when Baltimore has to show on the field that this offseason changed more than its expectations.