According to multiple reports, the Orioles are close to a deal to hire Cleveland Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz as the team’s new manager.
The Orioles have declined comment on the report.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report that the Orioles were close on a deal with Albernaz, who has interviewed for other managerial positions in recent years.
Albernaz, who’ll turn 43 on Thursday, has spent two years with Cleveland. He was their bench coach in 2023 and their associate manager in 2024.
He was on the San Francisco Giants’ coaching staff for four years as a bullpen and catching coach.
Albernaz, a native of Fall River, Massachusetts, played eight seasons in the minor leagues with the Tampa Bay Rays, and one with the Detroit Tigers before beginning his coaching career with Tampa Bay in 2015.
He began his coaching career with five seasons in the Rays’ organization as a minor league coach, manager and field coordinator.
The Orioles are unlikely to announce the move early this week since teams are discouraged from making major announcements on days of World Series games. The World Series resumes with Game 3 in Los Angeles on Monday night.
There were reports that the Orioles considered former New York Mets manager Luis Rojas, currently the New York Yankees’ third base coach, all-time great slugger Albert Pujols, and former Seattle manager Scott Servais.
On September 29th, president of baseball operations Mike Elias said that interim manager Tony Mansolino was a “real candidate” for the job.
It’s unknown how many candidates Elias interviewed.
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