The Craig Albernaz era has officially begun in Baltimore as the Orioles have officially announced him as their next manager.
The former Cleveland Guardians associate manager will take over a club that went 75-87 last year, finishing last in an American League East that produced three postseason teams.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to join the storied Baltimore Orioles organization,” Albernaz said in a press release. “This is a tremendous honor, and I'm grateful to [Orioles president] Mike Elias and the entire Orioles team for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading this talented club.”
“We believe he is the right person at the right time to elevate our baseball operations and guide our team back to the playoffs and a World Series championship,” Elias added.
Albernaz was a finalist for both the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins managerial jobs last offseason, but fell short and returned to the Guardians for a second season.
In two years with Albernaz on the bench, Cleveland made a pair of playoff appearances, including a trip to the ALCS in 2024. He was previously the bullpen coach for the San Francisco Giants after first working his way through the minor league coaching ranks in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Albernaz takes the reins at a fascinating time for the Orioles. Though Baltimore greatly underperformed its expectations in 2025, the organization has a ton of upside for the next few years thanks to a bevy of top-tier talent that has recently broken through to the Majors.
That includes promising hitters like Jackson Holliday, Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers. On the mound, Elias and the Orioles are expected to be the “most aggressive team” looking for pitching in free agency, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“Agents and rival executives believe that the Baltimore Orioles will be the most aggressive team looking for pitching this winter, with the Mets, Cubs, Atlanta, Red Sox, Tigers and Giants also in the mix,” Nightengale wrote at the end of the regular season.
