Cubs' front office gets first shake-up of offseason as Jared Banner joins the Orioles

A search that dates back more than a year is finally over. The Baltimore Orioles have found a general manager to work under president of baseball operations Mike Elias in Chicago Cubs assistant GM Jared Banner.

Banner had been with the Cubs since 2020 after stints with the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets. He's worn multiple hats, ranging from VP of special projects to farm director and, most recently, assistant GM, bringing nearly two decades of experience to Baltimore.

The Orioles entered the offseason looking to add more voices in the conversation alongside Elias, who has called the shots in Baltimore since late 2018. He led a complete organizational overhaul that culminated in a wave of young talent and playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024, but no postseason victories.

The last two years haven't been as kind to the O's, a pair of sub-.500 campaigns. Injuries, regression from key pieces, and a lack of reliable pitching have all been issues, and Banner will be tasked with getting the organization back on track, heading up player development, coaching and performance.

Cubs' Jed Hoyer loses a top lieutenant heading into a critical offseason

Losing executives is nothing new to the Chicago Cubs or Jed Hoyer, but Banner's departure is a key loss as the team looks to chart a path forward following a second-place NL Central finish and a quick departure in the playoffs.

We haven't yet heard of any other changes to the front office or coaching staff apart from Banner, who was also a frontrunner in the Athletics' search for a new head of baseball operations. It's possible Carter Hawkins could move on if the right opportunity presented itself, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that pitching coach Tommy Hottovy could also be on the chopping block.

Cubs' bench coach Ryan Flaherty is widely viewed as a top managerial candidate, but those opportunities are few and far between this winter. The takeaway in all of this is that when the league views your organization as one that does things the right way and is a leader in important areas, you're going to lose talent.

That was the case with Banner. He'd put in his time and was ready to take that next step in his career. Now, he gets that chance as he begins a new chapter with the Baltimore Orioles.

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