The Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a deal to hire Craig Albernaz as manager, tabbing one of the game’s most well-respected young coaches to help engineer a turnaround after a disappointing 2025, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
Baltimore fired manager Brandon Hyde in mid-May after a 15-28 start and named Tony Mansolino interim manager for the remainder of the season, in which the Orioles went 75-87 and finished in last place in the American League East.
With a strong core of young hitters, the Orioles’ job was one of the most alluring during an offseason with more than a quarter of managerial jobs open. And Albernaz, who, in his previous coaching jobs, forged strong relationships with younger players and was leaned on for a baseball sense honed by years behind the plate, leaped to the top of the list in Baltimore.
Albernaz, 42, was the associate manager for the Cleveland Guardians, who won the American League Central this year. Albernaz was a finalist for Cleveland’s managerial job in 2023 and joined the Guardians as bench coach when they instead hired Stephen Vogt.
During a nine-year catching career that topped out at Triple-A, Albernaz was long regarded as a potential future manager, and the Tampa Bay Rays — with whom he played eight seasons — hired him as a coach in 2015. Albernaz managed two years in the low minor leagues and eventually was hired before the 2020 season by the San Francisco Giants as a bullpen and catching coach.
Albernaz’s ability to connect with players was a hallmark of his time in San Francisco and Cleveland — and was part of the allure for an Orioles team filled with young talent. With star shortstop Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman, infielder Jordan Westburg, outfielder Colton Cowser, second baseman Jackson Holliday, outfielder Dylan Beavers, slugger Samuel Basallo and infielder Coby Mayo, Baltimore has one the highest-ceiling rosters in the major leagues.
The Orioles’ pitching suffered last season, though, and while left-hander Trevor Rogers ‘ breakout year and the return of right-hander Kyle Bradish from Tommy John surgery bode well for 2026, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez is coming off shoulder and elbow injuries and Baltimore’s pitching depth in the rotation and bullpen is limited.
Albernaz’s first major league managerial job will be in the gauntlet of the AL East division, featuring the current AL champion Toronto Blue Jays, a strong New York Yankees squad, the ascendant Boston Red Sox and a Tampa Bay Rays group that is competitive annually.