Source: Anderson won’t return to organization
Former All-Star, longtime part of front office, is gone
BOSTON — Former Orioles All-Star outfielder and one-time vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson won’t be back with the organization after the 2019 season, according to an industry source, removing one of the last vestiges from the previous front office after a year of transition.
Anderson, who was part of the Orioles’ three-person interim leadership team after executive vice president Dan Duquette was dismissed last October along with scouting director Gary Rajsich and farm director Brian Graham, spent 2019 in an advisory role on the fitness and conditioning side.
Under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, however, Anderson didn’t have the influence in baseball operations like he grew to have previously. When Duquette and manager Buck Showalter were the prominent figures on the baseball side earlier this decade for the Orioles, Anderson grew to have significant sway, with involvement in free agent negotiations, player development and more.
In the offseason ahead of the 2018 season, he had a significant role in the early spring signings of pitchers Alex Cobb and Andrew Cashner, and during the 2018 season, oversaw the two-week break Chris Davis took to try to find his swing again. Davis homered on his first swing upon his return.
But with Elias’ hiring last November, Anderson’s role became increasingly unclear. He took a leave this year for family reasons, and now becomes the latest member of the organization with long ties to the team who won’t be back in 2020.
Elias and his staff have let go have around 30 scouts, front office staffers, and player development personnel in an effort to remake the baseball side of the organization. It’s unclear, however, whether Ander
son is leaving on his own volition or not.
Mancini wants to stay
Orioles standout outfielder Trey Mancini used the last day of the season Sunday as an occasion to affirm his desire to stay with the team throughout its rebuild, a process Mancini said he feels is going well based on what he saw this year.
After his name was floated in midseason trade discussions in the Orioles’ first season under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde, Mancini remained with the team and enters the first of his three years of salary arbitration eligibility coming off his best season yet. Mancini hit .291 with a .901 OPS and 35 home runs entering Sunday, and wants to continue his growth with the Orioles.
“I’ve always felt strongly about it,” Mancini said. “That’s never wavered at all. I wasn’t anticipating getting traded at the deadline, and again, I’m glad I didn’t. I definitely feel very strongly about being here and I definitely like the direction that we’re headed.
“I feel really good about it. I was kind of thinking about it last night, reflecting on it, and last year the last game of the season, there was so much uncertainty leaving the field after the game, not knowing who was going to be back or what was going on. Now, we’re going in a pretty clear direction, and I really like where we’re headed.”
Hyde on the staff
Hyde said he didn’t have an idea of how quickly any potential changes to the coaching staff might be sorted out, and said it was more a question for Elias. He did, however, praise the staff — assembled at the last minute — for its work this year.
“They’ve been fantastic,” Hyde said. “They’ve been incredibly supportive. It’s a worker group, and it’s a grind group. When we were putting the staff together, we kind of targeted these types of guys, and they’ve been just amazing.”
Around the horn
Orioles infielder Jonathan Villar became one of five players in the majors to play all 162 games this season, joining the Kansas City Royals’ Jorge Soler and Whit Merrifield, Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien and Miami Marlins infielder Starlin Castro.
Hyde, who came to the Orioles from the Chicago Cubs, had praise for manager Joe Maddon after Maddon was let go Sunday. He said Maddon could manage anywhere he wants next season.