The Baltimore Orioles went into the 2025 MLB season expecting to be one of the best teams in baseball. Following a 15-28 start, manager Brandon Hyde was fired with Tony Mansolino taking over as interim skipper. However, there's reportedly someone else who could be on the team's radar this winter.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote Sunday that if there is a thorough Orioles managerial search this winter, the leading candidate to take the job will be Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty.
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Flaherty, who turns 39 in July, was selected by Baltimore in the 2011 Rule 5 Draft and he made the team's Opening Day roster the following year. After making his MLB debut in an Orioles' uniform on April 7, 2012, Flaherty spent the next six years with the club as a utility player.
After parting ways with the team following the 2017 season, he had brief stints with the Atlanta Braves (2018) and the Cleveland Guardians (2019). He then ended his playing career following the 2019 season, joining the San Diego Padres as an advanced scout.
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Flaherty made his managerial debut in June 2022 for the Padres when Bob Melvin landed in the COVID-19 protocols and he served as the team's bench coach in 2003. He then joined the Chicago Cubs in 2024 and has served as the team's bench coach ever since.
Playing for the Orioles isn't Flaherty's only tie to the organization. As noted by ESPN in 2018, Flaherty is married to the sister of Orioles' Hall of Famer Nick Markakis. He was also reportedly a finalist for the Padres' manager job two years ago, per Nightengale.