The Orioles have named Jared Banner their new general manager, and on paper, there’s plenty to like about the hire. He brings experience in scouting, player development and front-office leadership from three organizations, along with a reputation that had put him in consideration for another GM opening this offseason.
But the biggest question for Orioles fans is how much freedom Mike Elias will give him to change the way this organization operates. Bringing in someone with a different background is a good start. Allowing that person to challenge the processes that have contributed to the Orioles becoming a disappointment under Elias is where this hire could really matter.
Banner comes to Baltimore after serving as an assistant general manager with the Cubs since January 2024. According to the Orioles’ announcement, he will manage baseball operations on a day-to-day basis, lead player development, coaching and performance efforts, and partner with Elias on strategy, staffing and talent acquisition. That is a broad set of responsibilities, and it puts him in position to influence how players are acquired, developed and ultimately used at the major league level.
“Jared has been one of the rising talents in our league for some time, now,” Elias said in the announcement. “He has demonstrated success running multiple different departments and has worked alongside some of the best people and front office talent in the league across multiple stops.”
That varied experience is probably the most encouraging part of Banner’s résumé. He has spent 18 years in baseball operations, working his way through different departments instead of coming up through just one specialty.
Banner began with the Red Sox as a baseball operations fellow in 2007 and spent 11 years in the organization. His responsibilities grew to include player development, amateur scouting and player personnel. As Boston’s vice president of player personnel in 2017 and 2018, he oversaw professional scouting efforts that included Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Mexico.
He was also in the organization for three World Series championships. That doesn’t mean he gets credit for building those championship teams, but it does mean he worked inside an organization where winning at the major league level was the expectation.
After Boston, Banner oversaw the Mets’ minor league system before joining the Cubs in December 2020. He eventually ran Chicago’s player development department before moving into the assistant GM role. Between those stops, he has had opportunities to see different approaches to evaluating players and getting more out of them.
There is also a useful example of his evaluation work. Reporting from The Athletic, relayed by NBC Sports Bay Area, credited Banner with advocating for the Cubs to acquire Pete Crow-Armstrong in 2021. That same reporting identified him as a candidate for the Athletics’ GM opening this month. Baltimore was clearly not the only organization interested in giving him a larger role.
For the Orioles, the timing of this hire matters as much as the résumé.
Matt Blood has already departed the organization, and Sig Mejdal’s responsibilities have changed. Mejdal is retaining his assistant general manager title, but he is moving away from overseeing analytics and into research involving emerging technologies and innovative practices. Those are meaningful changes involving people who have been closely connected to Elias’ operation for years.
Put those moves together with Banner’s arrival, and there is reason to believe Elias recognizes that the organization needs to operate differently.
Elias deserves credit for rebuilding the talent base. There is a foundation here worth working with, and Banner acknowledged that in his introductory comments. But developing a strong collection of prospects and turning that talent into a consistently successful major league team are different jobs. The disappointment under Elias has been the gap between the promise of this organization and what it has delivered.
My concern has been that the Orioles have become too rigid in their processes. When the results fall short, there has to be a willingness to question the approach and make adjustments. At some point, confidence in the system has to be matched by accountability for what that system produces.
That is why Elias’ description of Banner as someone who can “grow, evolve and improve” baseball operations is worth paying attention to. Those words need to translate into room for Banner to make decisions, bring in people he trusts and push for changes where he believes they are necessary.
“When I first heard Mike’s vision, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of,” Banner said.
We will learn more about that vision when the Orioles introduce him on October 27. The announcement describes a partnership with Elias on talent acquisition, so it does not establish that Banner will have final authority over the major league roster. Elias remains the president of baseball operations.
Still, given Banner’s reputation and the interest he attracted elsewhere, my read is that he most likely received assurances of meaningful autonomy to help build that roster. It is difficult to believe someone in his position would take this job without a substantial opportunity to put his own judgment to work.
With Blood gone, Mejdal’s role changing and Banner arriving from outside the organization, this could be a sign that Elias has learned from the rigidity that, in my view, has contributed to the Orioles’ disappointing results. I like the hire. Now Elias needs to give Banner the freedom to make it matter.
