Baltimore Orioles 2026 season ended without October baseball for the second straight year. The club finished 79-82 after entering the year with much higher expectations. President of baseball operations Mike Elias now says the franchise will conduct a full organizational review, as reports Baltimore Chronicle, citing the season-ending briefing covered by WMAR 2 News.
Orioles face another offseason of difficult questions
Baltimore improved by only 4 wins from its 75-87 record in 2025. The change was not enough to return a talented roster to the postseason.
Elias described the result as deeply disappointing. “The results need to be better,” he said Monday at Camden Yards. He added that the organization was “tired of” producing results below its expectations.
The Orioles now have several areas to examine:
- player development and performance;
- recurring injuries to important players;
- execution by the major-league roster;
- potential changes inside baseball operations.
The review could therefore extend beyond ordinary roster moves. Elias has already discussed expanding a baseball operations department that remains among MLB’s smaller front offices.
Pete Alonso delivered, but Baltimore still fell short
Pete Alonso became the clearest success of Baltimore’s aggressive 2026 offseason. The first baseman hit 43 home runs and drove in 113 runs, leading the American League in both categories.
Other developments told a different story.
| 2026 development | What happened |
|---|---|
| Final record | 79-82 |
| Postseason | Missed for 2nd straight year |
| Pete Alonso | 43 HR, 113 RBI |
| Adley Rutschman | Traded to Boston on August 4 |
| Craig Albernaz | Completed 1st season as manager |
Rutschman’s departure was particularly significant. Baltimore sent its former No. 1 overall pick to the Boston Red Sox in a major deadline deal involving multiple prospects.
The move showed how dramatically the season had changed. A team constructed to contend entered August reshaping part of its core instead.
Mike Elias enters uncertain 2027 offseason
Elias said he has not sought guarantees from ownership about his own position. He plans to continue working unless told otherwise.
Manager Craig Albernaz, meanwhile, pointed repeatedly to execution when discussing why Baltimore failed to convert talent into enough victories. Injuries and deadline changes complicated his first season, but neither Elias nor Albernaz presented them as a complete explanation.
Another uncertainty sits beyond Camden Yards. MLB’s current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, 2026. League and union negotiations began in May, leaving a potential labor stoppage as a factor in offseason planning.
For Baltimore, however, the central problem is already clear. A roster expected to compete has missed October twice in succession. The organizational review will now determine what changes the Orioles believe are necessary before 2027.
Earlier we wrote that Baltimore Orioles sweep Blue Jays 4-2 as Trey Gibson keeps playoff hopes alive