Will Orioles retain interim manager Tony Mansolino?

The Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde back in May, and since then Tony Mansolino has taken over managerial duties on an interim basis. Mansolino has done reasonably well in the role, as the Orioles have gone on to post a 54-50 record during his time as their interim manager. Turning a team that had one of the worst records in baseball around enough that they’ve won more games than they’ve lost over the past four months is an impressive feat, but Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball suggests that this success doesn’t necessarily mean that Mansolino is a lock to be hired on a permanent basis.

Instead, Dubroff suggests that newly-minted president of baseball operations Mike Elias is likely to conduct a “lengthy” search, and while Mansolino could still be hired in the end the vacancy is likely to attract interest from a number of interesting candidates. It’s easy to see why that would be the case, when comparing Baltimore to the other teams with managerial vacancies. The presence of Paul Skenes gives the Pirates tantalizing potential, but they’ve already wasted his first two seasons under club control and have shown little interest in investing in the team’s payroll to improve the on-field product. The Rockies may not be quite as bad as the 2024 White Sox, but they’re close enough with 108 games already lost this season. The Nationals, meanwhile, have been mired in a rebuild for years and have struggled to get consistency out of even their most talented pieces.

By contrast, the Orioles have an impressive group of positional talent led by a legitimate star in Gunnar Henderson. Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman are reliable, proven pieces, and young talents like Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo, Samuel Basallo, and Colton Cowser offer reason for optimism that more offensive output is on the way in future seasons. While the club’s pitching staff needs work and the offense is perhaps a little too reliant on young talent stepping forward next year, Baltimore seems likely to be more aggressive in improving the team this offseason than any of the aforementioned clubs on top of having a stronger baseline of talent.

Given the likely attractiveness of the Orioles job, Dubroff suggests that a wide range of potential names could emerge as candidates. He specifically name-checks a handful of former managers such as Brad Ausmus and Scott Servais and a trio of active bench coaches (Ryan Flaherty of the Cubs, Danny Lehman of the Dodgers, and George Lombard of the Tigers). One name Dubroff makes clear will not be leading the Orioles’ dugout in 2026 is former manager Buck Showalter, who he notes would “not be a good match” with Elias.

One internal candidate aside from Mansolino gets a mention from Dubroff, as well: John Mabry. Mabry was hired as a senior advisor not long after Hyde’s firing, and brings 14 years in the big leagues to the table as well as stints as a hitting coach for the Cardinals, Royals, and Marlins. Dubroff describes Mabry as a “long-shot” candidate for the role, however, which makes some sense; it would be something of a surprise if the Orioles decided to go with an internal hire and didn’t simply retain Mansolino in the role, given his overall success this year.

While it stands to reason that the Orioles are at least considering many of the names Dubroff mentioned, it should be noted that with two weeks to go in the regular season it’s very likely that the full field of managerial vacancies and candidates won’t come together for a while yet. Atlanta skipper Brian Snitker, for example, has not yet decided on whether he’ll retire following the 2025 campaign. There’s always the possibility that another position or two open up as we get closer to the end of the season, when teams around the league take the annual opportunity to evaluate their dugout and front office personnel.