SARASOTA, Fla.—Mike Elias, the new general manager of the Baltimore Orioles, understands the difficulty of reconstructing a baseball franchise from scratch. He joined the Houston Astros, pioneers of the full-blown-teardown-to-achieve-success model, at the beginning of their process, ultimately rising to the role of GM Jeff Luhnow’s top deputy. He knows what it takes to transform a mess into a perennial contender. But not even the Astros’ dramatic rebuild can totally prepare Elias for the challenge he now faces. The Orioles...

Source: Wall Street Journal March 21, 2019 12:00 UTC