Elias calls report of Hyde hiring "premature"

LAS VEGAS - Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias disputed reports today that he's chosen Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde as manager - including one airing on MLB Network and shown on the television inside his suite at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino as he sat down with the local media.

Elias was able to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, the intensity of breaking news spliced with some humor.

"I will say very clearly it's a premature report," Elias said. "And, I haven't looked at the specifics of the exact wording of this report, but certainly the type of ... the type of report you are referring to is premature. So, yeah.

"It is the Winter Meetings."

Multiple outlets, including The Athletic and USA Today, are reporting that Hyde accepted the offer. A tweet earlier from the New York Post's Joel Sherman stated that the Orioles were "closing in on" hiring Hyde. MLB Network's Jon Heyman tweeted that Hyde received an offer.

However, Elias issued denials about a decision and offer and added that a hire likely wouldn't happen at the Winter Meetings.

"I think I need to hire a manager first, I need to choose one first. That's step one," he said.

"Once that's the case, there's all kinds of logistics involved. I have no way of predicting that. Knowing where we are at right now I think it would be very challenging to complete this hire here in Vegas."

Earlier in the session, Elias answered with a "no" when asked about the accuracy of a report that the Orioles decided on a manager and if there was an offer on the table.

As for whether he was getting any closer, Elias replied, "I'm closer in the sense that I continue to work on this hire. It's first and foremost on my plate right now and continuing to do work to further this process, as I said. We're working with as much deliberation, but also speed simultaneously, possible as we can."

Any announcement is expected to come back in Baltimore.

"We're, what is it, Tuesday?" Elias said. "The meetings break Thursday morning. These are complicated decisions and processes. I would not anticipate that this hire is completed during the Winter Meetings."

Getting a signature on a contract would constitute the completion of a hire.

"We all have contracts in this business," Elias said. "You enter into discussions. It's something that takes a while. To answer your question, it's sign on the dotted line."

Hyde, 45, managed for five years in the Marlins' system and led Double-A Jacksonville to the Southern League championship in 2009. He has spent the past five seasons with the Cubs as bench coach and first base coach and owns previous experience as the Cubs' field coordinator and development director. He would be the 20th manager in Orioles history.

In keeping with the organization's preference to operate in secrecy, Elias wouldn't comment on whether the field of six had been narrowed or whether he met with Hyde, whose name was offered up toward the end of the 16-minute media session due to the programming in his suite.

"I don't want to comment on that in the sense I have officially narrowed the field," he said. "Certainly, there are people in my mind that are at the forefront of probability in my mind."

What about meeting with Hyde?

"I'm not going to comment on ... I haven't even commented on who the candidates are specifically, so I can't comment on the specifics of my meetings with these people," Elias said.

Has anyone been notified of the club's decision?

"I'd rather not get into any details like that right now," he replied.

What's the value in keeping everything so close to the vest?

"I don't see any value in not keeping it close to the vest, if that answers that," he said.

"These are people, great people that have jobs with other organizations. Those jobs are very important to them. The people are very important to the other organization, or to the other organizations for which they work. It's the least I can do to try to maintain some semblance of quiet over the particulars of our process and our search and our comings and goings.

"Stuff has a tendency to get out in our industry. It's certainly not coming from me."

The Orioles also never confirmed the six finalists, known to be Hyde, Nationals bench coach Chip Hale, Royals quality control/catching coach Pedro Grifol, Diamondbacks director of player development Mike Bell, Rockies bench coach Mike Redmond and Mariners bench coach Manny Acta. Only Hale, Redmond and Acta have managed full-time in the majors; Hyde filled in on an interim basis for the Marlins for one game in 2011.

"I said from the outset that the candidate pool that we're dealing with very seriously, they all have different backgrounds," Elias said. "Suffice it to say, some of them have major league managerial experience and some of them don't."

The Orioles would have to decide whether to bring in an experienced bench coach for a first-time manager.

"If we were to hire somebody who hasn't hired in the major leagues, I would still yield to that person's desires and his own feel for what he wants and who he wants and needs around him," Elias said.

"Certainly, you look at major league staffs up and down the league, there's certain constants. Obviously, you've got a pitching coach. It's important to have a Spanish-speaking coach and experience is also always sought and desired somewhere on the staff, usually, but we'll see.

"We'll see who we hire. We'll see what they end up seeking. We'll see what ends up being available to us. But this is very down the road for us now right now because we don't have a manager."

Elias indicated that the managerial hire will come first rather than having multiple vacancies filled.

"I expect it will be manager first and then once we have the manager in place we will work together with the rest of the staff. But primarily that will be his endeavor," Elias said.

As the group of reporters and other assorted media members rose from their seats and headed toward the door, Elias smiled and said, "I'll turn the TV off next time, huh?"