Question: What are you hearing about Brandon Hyde this offseason? He had a rough time in 2025 as we all know, but I would think a former Manager of the Year would find a job somewhere in MLB. From: Vic Laws
Answer: Vic, I got a similar question from James Heck. I would have thought with nine openings this offseason that Brandon Hyde would have gotten one of them.
Perhaps because there were so many openings, it led to some unusual hirings, particularly Tony Vitello coming from the University of Tennessee to manage the San Francisco Giants, and Blake Butera, hired at 33 to manage the Washington Nationals. I was also surprised by Craig Stammen, a former relief pitcher, hired to manage the San Diego Padres.
Hyde was linked with the Giants and Nationals jobs, and perhaps he was considered for others.
The Colorado Rockies haven’t decided on their manager for next year, so that’s still a possibility.
I don’t know if he discussed coaching, but with many teams rapidly filling their staffs, I’m not sure how many of those jobs are still open.
Perhaps Hyde will have to wait until a year from now for a new job, but with his qualifications, I think he should be a frontline candidate.
Question: Why were no retired Orioles hired as coaches? B.J. Surhoff, Mike Bordick, as well as a dozen or so, have helped in spring training. Were any considered? From: Leo Resop
Answer: Leo, I’m not sure if any former Orioles were considered in the coaching search, which is probably nearing its end.
Both Bordick and Surhoff are over 60, and there are few coaches of that age around Major League Baseball. The oldest of the nine coaches we know about for next season is Miguel Cairo, who’s 51.
Some of the former Orioles who helped out in spring training, including J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts, don’t have interest in demanding jobs because they want to spend more time with their families. Others, like Ben McDonald, have fulltime jobs.
I like the idea of former players, but that doesn’t seem to be where baseball is heading these days.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.