Orioles GM Jared Banner avoided the same pitfall that hurt ex-Guardians coach Craig Albernaz

While former Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz may end up becoming a top-tier MLB manager, his initial run as a big league manager was about as disastrous as it could be in his first season with the Orioles. Not only did the Orioles finish the year under .500 (79-82) in a season defined by regression from some of their top players, but Albernaz got dragged after the season when Orioles legend Jim Palmer admitted the first time manager gave him the cold shoulder. 

That rough season resulted in some front office re-shuffling that led to the team hiring former Cubs executive Jared Banner as their new general manager, and he already let it be known that he avoided the same mistake Albernaz made when he told reporters that he’s already talked to Palmer. 

Craig Albernaz's Jim Palmer mistake looks worse after Jared Banner's comments

Albernaz not talking to Palmer wouldn’t be a huge deal in a year where Baltimore had a ton of success, but 2026 was not that. It got so bad that Pete Alonso went on record and said their 2026 result “was not the expectation.” Although that kind of statement isn’t 100% proof that Albernaz lost the clubhouse, it does show that he has a roster that’s ready to compete. 

Now the decisions made on that roster are going to be led by Banner, who is going to work alongside president of baseball operations Mike Elias. They’ll have their work cut for them thanks to an Orioles lineup led by Alonso, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday, among others. 

That young core helped push them to the World Series in 2023 and ‘24, but they didn’t win a postseason game in any of those appearances and haven’t been back since. That lack of success has led to some hubbub about whether the Orioles would consider breaking up their core, which is now going to fall on Banner’s shoulders (and then be passed down to Albernaz’s). 

Any restructuring of the roster will press Albernaz into a position where he may need to take what he’s learned from Stephen Vogt and try to get the most out of a weak roster. Some of the shine from Albernaz may have gone by the wayside thanks to his rough initial foray as a manager, but the skills that made him an important part of the Guardians’ coaching staff didn’t disappear overnight. 

While most of the Orioles’ movements won’t have a huge impact on the Guardians since they’ll be siloed in the American League East, it’ll be interesting to watch how Albernaz and Banner work together. 

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