Albert Pujols could manage the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles, in search of a new manager to lead their young and promising team, have shown interest in Albert Pujols, a future Hall of Famer.Although formal interviews have not yet been conducted, the Orioles are expected to contact Pujols in their search for a replacement for Brandon Hyde, who was fired at the beginning of the disappointing 2025 season, where the team suffered 87 losses.
Tony Mansolino, who took over as interim manager after Hyde’s departure in May, is one of the candidates for the full-time position, but the Orioles are also conducting an external search. Mike Elias, Orioles’ president of baseball operations, was a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals during Pujols’ time on the team in the late 2000s. Pujols, 45 years old, still maintains a close relationship with his former teammate Matt Holliday, father of Jackson Holliday, the 21-year-old infielder who is now a key player for the Orioles. The Los Angeles Angels appear to be the most likely destination for Pujols and remain the only team with whom he has had a formal interview. Pujols met with Angels general manager Perry Minasian last week and is still being considered for the position, although former All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter is also a serious candidate. However, the Angels’ hiring process could be affected by the involvement of owner Arte Moreno and president John Carpino in the civil trial over the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. A couple of years ago, the Orioles looked like a team on the rise, emerging from an aggressive rebuild to win 101 games and clinch the American League title in 2023. They returned to the playoffs with a 91-win season in 2024, but were swept in the wild card round and were not aggressive in pursuing starting pitchers during the following offseason. A 15-28 start led to Hyde’s dismissal on May 17th. The following 4 and a half months weren’t much better, but the Orioles are nonetheless an attractive destination due to a promising young core of position players including Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Coby Mayo, and Samuel Basallo. They are currently among the eight teams with manager vacancies, along with the Angels, the Atlanta Braves, the San Francisco Giants, the Washington Nationals, the San Diego Padres, the Colorado Rockies, and the Minnesota Twins. Pujols has expressed a great interest in managing at the Major League level for years and led a Dominican winter baseball team, the Leones del Escogido, to a championship in January. Pujols was previously named manager of the Dominican Republic for next year’s World Baseball Classic, although he would likely relinquish that role if he gets a job in the Major Leagues this offseason.
