MILWAUKEE — Three days after announcing the firing of Brandon Hyde, Orioles general manager Mike Elias shared why organizational brass collectively chose to move on from the manager who piloted Baltimore’s rebuild.

“There come times when the go-forward look at things involve a different voice and a head coaching change to receive that voice,” Elias said. “Ultimately, stretching back into early last summer, this is a team that we feel has been collectively and individually underperforming its talent level.

“We want something new in order to hopefully restore them to the level of play that we expect of ourselves.”

Hyde had been at the helm in Baltimore since December of 2018. He endured two seasons of 100-plus losses, with a COVID-shortened campaign in between. Fate turned with a winning season in 2022 — “liftoff from here,” Elias called it at the time. Under Hyde, the Orioles made significant strides, including a 101-win season and pair of playoff appearances.But the team — for various reasons, some beyond its control — struggled through the second half of 2024 and completely unraveled a quarter of the way into this season, now 15-31 sitting at the bottom of the American League East entering Tuesday night’s game in Milwaukee.

“You go back to last June,” Elias said, “we were on top of the sport in almost every facet, including majors and minors. Now we find ourselves where we find ourselves. This has been hitting us all very hard, but it’s unusual for that to be so sudden.”

Asked whether there was consideration to shake up another part of the coaching staff, as opposed to the manager, Elias said, considering the severity of a decision like that, “once you arrive at that conclusion, it’s best to do it for all parties’ sake as soon as possible.” He also said that he’s “very heavily evaluating everything that we do across the organization.”

Elias told reporters on May 2 that Hyde had his full vote of confidence. Hyde’s dismissal was announced 15 days later. On Tuesday, the condensed explanation was that, Elias felt, it was time for a new voice in the clubhouse.

“Sometimes organizations try something different and that’s what this was,” Elias said.

He did not reveal who initiated the conversation in reaching the decision but did consult heavily with the ownership group, spearheaded by billionaire private-equity investor David Rubenstein, before the decision was reached.

Baltimore’s ownership group has been fairly outspoken about contending for a World Series. This season has been the antithesis to that lofty goal. It’s natural to wonder, in light of Hyde’s firing, could Elias’ job be next should this team fail to stabilize?

“I’m in a position where, regardless of how it affects me or my personal situation,” he said, “I have to make decisions that I judge in collaboration with my bosses and the people around me to be in the best interest of the Baltimore Orioles franchise. So that’s what I’m doing.”

The news of Hyde’s firing was delivered to the team Saturday morning. Elias kept it brief. He told players that Orioles brass were disappointed with the start of the season, while encouraging the clubhouse to focus on themselves and each other. It was a decision that Elias emphasized was not an indictment on the quality of one individual. He’s hoping “the solution to fixing this team will be achieved and sought with a different head coaching voice.”

Elias took some of the onus too. He recognized the second-to-last collective ERA for a starting rotation falls on himself and the front office for its roster construction. He chalked up a lackluster offense, in part, to health. “Things aren’t perfect,” he said. But a group that was considered a World Series contender in March now holding a 2.3% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, required addressing.

Elias’ hope is that a new voice in the clubhouse could be the catalyst for a season he hopes can still be salvaged.

For the foreseeable future, that voice is Tony Mansolino. The third base and infield coach will hold the interim manager tag through the end of the season.

There was no conversation on external hires at this juncture, according to Elias. A managerial search this time of year would be mountainous task. Orioles decision makers felt Mansolino would be the best internal promotion, citing major league coaching experience in Baltimore and minor league managerial experience within Cleveland’s organization.

Mansolino is an experienced band-aid heading an inexperienced staff.

“It’s a young staff. That’s something that I’m aware of,” Elias said. “There’s a relative inexperience. It’s a very talented group. A lot of major league playing experience in the group and a lot of good baseball intellect in the group so I’m working with these guys every day, trying to figure out and troubleshoot what we can do to get these guys playing better.”

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