The Baltimore Orioles have hired Jared Banner as their new general manager after spending six seasons working in the Chicago Cubs’ front office. Before joining the Orioles, Banner served as assistant general manager under Jed Hoyer since late 2023.
Banner will now work alongside Mike Elias, who has served as the Orioles’ president of baseball operations since he was hired after the 2018 season.
While most Cubs fans may not be all too familiar with Banner, he reportedly played a key role in the 2021 trade that sent Pete Crow-Armstrong to the Cubs in exchange for Javier Baez and Trevor Williams. Before joining the Cubs, Banner was with the New York Mets, where he served as executive director of player development for two years.
Banner began his MLB executive career with the Boston Red Sox in 2007. He moved up through the Red Sox front office, first as a player development assistant, then as an assistant in amateur scouting, then as coordinator of amateur scouting, assistant director of player personnel, and vice president of player personnel during his final two years in Boston.
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The 41-year-old joined the Cubs’ front office after Theo Epstein stepped aside following the 2020 season. Before the Cubs named Banner assistant GM, he served as vice president of special projects and vice president of player development for two years.
Banner was also in the mix for the Athletics’ open GM position this offseason.
From a Cubs perspective, you hate losing your guys, but it’s also good to have people sought after in the industry. It’s also not the worst thing to bring new voices, ideas, and philosophies into the building, which will happen now that Banner’s spot will be filled by someone else in the Cubs’ front office.
Looking ahead, you might also wonder whether trades could happen between the Cubs and the Orioles now that Banner has influence in Baltimore. Maybe he values a few players more than those in Chicago. We’ll see.
Congrats to Jared Banner!
