BALTIMORE (AP) — The new general manager of the Baltimore Orioles seems well aware of what he's walking into.
“To the fans, I want you to know: I know you’re frustrated. It’s been a rough couple of years," Jared Banner said at his introductory news conference Tuesday. "We’re frustrated too. But you have our commitment. We’re going to build a winner here in Baltimore.”
Banner's arrival as GM comes at a time when the Baltimore front office is facing plenty of skepticism. The Orioles won the AL East in 2023 and were a wild-card team the following year, but two straight sub-.500 seasons have ramped up the pressure on Mike Elias, who was hired as GM eight years ago and eventually became a team president.
Elias said when he received the president title last year, that opened the GM spot and enabled the team to fill it with a talented voice from another franchise. Banner was an assistant GM with the Chicago Cubs.
“Jared will take over everything to do with our internal players, our internal coaches. Player development, performance, health care, all of that is going to fall under his umbrella,” Elias said. “I will then work more directly on the scouting and acquisition side of the equation — pro, international, amateur, contracts, things like that. But we will be running the whole team together.”
Baltimore's failures over the past couple of seasons have been comprehensive, but the struggles of young players such as Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday have been a significant part of the team's regression. That's now an issue for Banner to address.
“We're going to challenge all of our processes,” Banner said. “And we might have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. One of my main player development philosophies is we have to make practice more like the game, so the game gets easier once you get in there.”
After trading Adley Rutschman, a one-time cornerstone of Baltimore's rebuild, the Orioles face an uncertain future. The possibility of a lockout looms over everything, and once the labor situation is resolved, Elias figures to be under significant pressure to bring the team back to contention. Banner sounds as if he understands the urgency of the situation — and is happy to sign on.
“In baseball circles, which is a long way from Twitter, we know Mike’s one of the most talented executives in the game, hands down," Banner said, just seconds after beginning his opening statement.
Banner also made sure to show appreciation for franchise legends such as Cal Ripken Jr. and Jim Palmer. He said he has lunch scheduled with Ripken, who is part of the team's ownership group. He's also heard from Palmer.
There was a hullabaloo recently when Palmer said on the “Bmore Sports Podcast” that he had texted manager Craig Albernaz with some advice about Cowser — and never heard back.
“First and foremost, I made sure I hit Jim back right away,” Banner said. “Had to.”
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