The Orioles may be close to hiring a manager.
Baltimore is "closing in" on a deal with Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde, according to a report from the New York Post.
Hear the #Orioles are closing in on hiring #Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde as their manager.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 12, 2018
Orioles general manager Mike Elias, however, said Tuesday the report was “premature.”
Elias said no decision made on manager, no offer made and probably no hire here. Called report on Hyde, shown on TV in suite, “premature” #orioles
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) December 12, 2018
Hyde coached in the minor leagues and was a member of the Marlins coaching staff — where he had a one-game stint as the team's interim manager — for three years before he joined Chicago in 2013.
The Orioles finished with a 47-115 record in 2018 and missed the playoffs for the second straight season. They also posted their worst attendance since 1981, according to the team's official site .
Baltimore fired Buck Showalter after eight years in early October.