Mike Elias, executive vice president and general manager, Baltimore Orioles
-11.3 WAA
This was the third year of Elias’ rebuilding program in Baltimore, and so far progress Is not discernible.
Elias made a division-high 54 transactions affecting the team’s major league roster since the end of the 2020 season. But only 20 of those 54 moves (37 percent) netted positive value, six others being neutral.
That means more than half the times Elias pulled the trigger on a personnel move in 2021, he shot his own team. Worse yet, the damage was often serious. Seven of Elias’ moves created an impact in excess of 1.0 game, and six of those seven negatively impacted the Orioles.
The half dozen are not exactly an Orioles Who’s Who. Adam Plutko (-1.2) was a March purchase from Cleveland, Maikel Franco (-2.8), Spenser Watkins (-1.3), and Matt Harvey (-1.7) all signed as free agents,
The farm system produced Dean Kremer (-1.3) and Keegan Akin (-1.2), who may one day be useful contributors. But 2021 was not that day; they combined for a 2-17 record with ERAs above 6.50.
The Orioles have a few obvious stars-in-the-making, Cedric Mullins, John Means, and Ryan Mountcastle among them. But it is not clear that the team as a whole is making progress under Elias.