- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
The Baltimore Orioles hired Jared Banner as general manager Monday, adding a former Cubs assistant general manager to work alongside president of baseball operations Mike Elias.
Elias prioritized adding a GM this offseason to bulk up the front office. Banner brings experience from the Mets, Red Sox and Cubs, where he served as farm director and helped run player development. He was instrumental in Chicago's 2021 trade deadline deal that sent Javier Baez to the Mets in exchange for Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Banner, an Amherst graduate who began as a Red Sox intern in 2007 and rose to vice president of player personnel, won three World Series with Boston. He joined the Cubs in 2021 in a multipurpose role and was a finalist for the A's president of baseball operations position.
He becomes the only Black general manager in Major League Baseball following Houston's firing of Dana Brown. The Astros also have a vacant lead role and could hire soon. Elias said last year that Baltimore might add another top executive, then chose to delay the move until now.
The Orioles won the AL East in 2023, made the playoffs in 2024, finished last place in 2025 and went 79-82 in 2026. The club's core includes first baseman Pete Alonso, shortstop Gunnar Henderson and catcher Samuel Basallo, with prospects Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser nearing the majors.
Source: ESPN - Mon Oct 19, 10:08 AM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).