Manager Buck Showalter Reportedly Fired by Orioles After 9 Seasons

The Baltimore Orioles reportedly parted ways with manager Buck Showalter on Wednesday.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Showalter will not be back with the O's "in any capacity" next season.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale first reported on September 21 that Showalter was expected to be canned following the conclusion of the 2018 season. 

For the Orioles, the move was a no-brainer. 

Baltimore was a major league-worst 47-115 this season and joined the 1962 New York Mets and 2003 Detroit Tigers as the only teams in the expansion era to win fewer than 50 games. 

Plus, Showalter was never a fit to lead the Orioles through what figures to be an extensive and arduous rebuild after Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Kevin Gausman, Darren O'Day and Jonathan Schoop were all shipped out of town in advance of the trade deadline.

Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs speculated that Showalter's relationship with general manager Dan Duquette may have played a role in his firing:

Showalter, 62, will now depart Baltimore with a 669-684 record across eight seasons and change with the Orioles dating back to his installation as the club's manager midway through the 2010 campaign. All told, his career record sits at 1,551-1,517.

The highlight of his time in Charm City came in 2014 when the Orioles went 96-66, captured the franchise's first American League East title since 1997 and made a run to the ALCS before their season was ended by the Kansas City Royals. 

Since then, the Orioles have managed one winning season as the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees re-established themselves as the class of the division. 

Showalter will now sit back and wait as spots open up in dugouts across MLB as he eyes a fresh start in a new locale.