Mike Elias said during his end-of-season news conference that he would “examine” every aspect of the Orioles organization after another postseason failure. Eight days later, Elias and the Orioles made their first major baseball-related changes.

Coaches Ryan Fuller, Fredi González and José Hernández will not be returning to the Orioles’ staff under manager Brandon Hyde in 2025, a source with direct knowledge confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.

Fuller, 34, isn’t returning after spending the previous three seasons as a co-hitting coach alongside Matt Borgschulte. Under Fuller, Borgschulte and offensive strategy coach Cody Asche, the Orioles had one of MLB’s best offenses in 2024, ranking second in home runs (235) and fourth in OPS (.750). However, Baltimore’s bats cooled in the second half as the club dealt with crippling injuries, reaching a nadir in October when the offense scored only one run in two games as the Orioles were swept out of the postseason for the second straight year.

González joined the Orioles ahead of the 2020 season as Hyde’s bench coach. The 60-year-old was an MLB manager from 2007 to 2016 with the Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves.

Hernández, 55, was an original member of Hyde’s staff in 2019, the first year of the Elias-Hyde era, after spending the previous nine years in the Orioles’ minor league system. MASNSports.com was first to report the changes to the coaching staff.

It’s unclear whether the three coaches were fired or did not have their contracts renewed. When asked whether any of the three coaches were originally under contract for 2025, an Orioles spokesperson said the team does not comment on personnel matters.

Elias opened his final news conference of the year — which came less than 24 hours after his team’s season was ended by the Kansas City Royals in the American League wild-card series — by expressing his disappointment for what was an underwhelming postseason appearance and determination to find solutions.

“All that I want to say, and can say right now, is that I am going to work tirelessly to make adjustments and improve and put us in the position to have a better outcome than we just had. My staff and I will not rest this winter, and we will put ourselves in that position,” Elias said. “I’m going to be laser-focused over the next few weeks in preparing for the offseason and then throughout the offseason in doing whatever we can to get over this hump and the rest of it.”

As expected, Elias said Hyde would be returning as Orioles manager in 2025 despite the club’s mediocre second half and early playoff exit. But the general manager did not give the same assurances to the rest of his coaching staff, instead saying that he and Hyde would “spend a lot of time together self-assessing, readjusting, coming up with a plan for the offseason.” For now, Borgschulte and Asche are still with the club, and it’s unclear how Elias and Hyde will fill the rest of their coaching staff.

After a scorching-hot start to the season, the Orioles’ offense regressed in the second half. Injuries to Jordan Westburg, Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías were a major reason, but other players, especially Adley Rutschman, slumped and didn’t look like themselves down the stretch. An offense that was excellent with runners in scoring position and at consistently taking quality at-bats in 2023 suddenly turned into one that repeatedly struggled in those areas in 2024’s second half.

It was never more evident than in the two playoff games at Camden Yards, in which the Orioles went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and frequently chased pitches outside the zone.

“I definitely experienced the frustration of that. Who didn’t?” Elias said when asked about the Orioles’ reliance on home runs and struggles in high-leverage situations. “Been around baseball and a lot of the very best information out there in baseball my entire life and career. Getting hits and getting RBI with runners in scoring position, there’s a lot of evidence that that can be difficult to control on a year-over-year, month-to-month basis.

“It’s a tricky thing, hitting. That said, I am going to behave as though it is under our control, and we are going to examine everything about our offensive approach, teachings, the mix of personnel and put ourselves in position to where we feel like we’ve addressed any potential shortcomings there.”

Around the horn

n Left-hander Tucker Davidson on Monday elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. Davidson posted a 3.89 ERA in 115 2/3 innings with the Tides and pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the Orioles’ penultimate game of the regular season — his lone outing in the majors in 2024.

n The Orioles last week released minor league left-hander Ronald Guzmán after he spent most of 2024 on the IL and walked 15 batters in his 7 1/3 innings between rookie ball and High-A Aberdeen. Guzmán, a former MLB first baseman with the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, was attempting to make the transition into a pitcher.

n Utility infielder Nick Maton last week filed for free agency after spending much of 2024 in Triple-A. Maton posted an .836 OPS with the Tides and went 0-for-5 in his brief time with the Orioles.

n Orioles sluggers Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander on Tuesday were named two of the 10 finalists in the AL for the Hank Aaron Award. The award, established in 1999, honors the best offensive player in each league and is decided by a panel of Hall of Famers as well as a fan vote. Voting ends Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 667-942-3337 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.