For weeks, Brandon Hyde publicly supported his struggling Orioles team. The manager spoke in press conferences of the team’s myriad issues, yet he kept his comments tame. In his seventh year at the helm in Baltimore, having seen the team through the lowest of times, he reiterated his belief that another turnaround was coming.

Behind closed doors, however, Hyde grew more outspoken. In Anaheim, California, this month, Hyde addressed the team in a way he rarely had, trying to galvanize a group that had so underperformed that fans were calling for him to lose his job.

Even with his entire team present, Hyde went after his hitters. He was frank, telling them to take responsibility. He acknowledged the pitching staff’s struggles, but the batters drew his ire.

“We have a lot of first-round picks in here and a lot of top players in the league, and we’re not playing like it,” said one position player who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss clubhouse matters. “That was basically the message. I think everybody probably agreed with it.”

It wasn’t the only team meeting in recent weeks. On the eve of Hyde’s firing, team leaders reiterated his message in a players-only meeting.

Nobody had much time to process that talk; general manager Mike Elias walked into the clubhouse the next morning to announce Hyde’s ouster — the clearest and loudest message a team can be sent.

The three meetings in quick succession were part of a hectic stretch for the Orioles. One last attempt to turn things around for their manager resulted in more losses, his firing and the realization that this season could slip away — if it hadn’t already.

In recent days, several players and sources around the organization spoke on the condition of anonymity to outline the last days of Hyde’s tenure, reflect on the offseason and comment on where the team can go from here.

Owner David Rubenstein, through a spokesperson, declined two requests for comment this month, including one after Hyde’s firing. Elias spoke with the media Tuesday, his first remarks since Hyde’s departure. He said his message to the clubhouse Saturday was brief.

“Informing them of the decision and the fact that we were disappointed with where we were,” Elias said. “And that I wanted them to focus on themselves and their teammates and playing together and having fun together and letting the rest happen. And those of us in leadership positions in the organization will be doing our best to figure out ways to improve and support them going forward.”

Those inside the room said Elias also took ultimate responsibility for the dismal beginning to the year, which left a positive impression on some players even as emotion mounted over Hyde’s firing.

At the same time, there is a lingering belief among a handful of players that Elias could have done more to set the team up for success.

Over the last few weeks, morale dropped to the lowest point it has in years, multiple sources said. That doesn’t come as a surprise, given the 192 wins recorded in 2023 and 2024 that have given way to far more losing in 2025. As a second position player said, the Orioles expected their record to be the inverse of what it is. The spiral has taken many by surprise, and while there is no cheer in the clubhouse that Hyde is gone, there is an understanding that change was required.

“There are different ways to change the way things are going, and sometimes you need a drastic change,” one pitcher said.

“It’s tough to get someone fired,” the first position player said. “That’s kind of what we did. We accidentally, not on purpose, got him fired. And that’s a result of us not playing good. It sucks to look in the mirror and that’s what happened. But I think a change probably had to be made of some sort to kind of shake things up, I guess.”

And a third position player added: “I could not say Hyde was the exact change needed. In terms of where the change was needed, whether that was personnel, whether that was just how we’re approaching our day to day, yeah, I would say so. I could not answer where to point that, though.”

Several players, both when speaking on the record and with anonymity, were adamant that Hyde never lost the clubhouse’s support.

“He was liked in this clubhouse,” a fourth position player said. “It wasn’t like he was ostracized or he was over there and we were in here. Never lost the clubhouse. It was never like we were alienated against him.”

Six sources who spoke on the team meeting in Anaheim said Hyde paid special attention in his attempt to revive a slumping lineup. He called for more energy, especially when trailing in games, and one source said Hyde went so far as to insinuate that the league had begun to think the Orioles were soft.

“Even though our pitching staff hasn’t done as well as I assume they’d like to, we’re equally as much of a problem,” the first position player remembered Hyde saying.

“I heard good things, honestly, just about being honest about where we are and a reality check on things we need to do better,” the pitcher said. “It’s not that hard to decipher what we need to do better. Almost everything.”

Although there was a brief uptick in performance when the team scored seven runs in the finale to win the series against the Angels, more of the same returned when the Orioles touched down in Baltimore. They were swept for a second time this season by the Minnesota Twins. And, after they stranded 15 runners on base in a 4-3 loss to the Washington Nationals, another meeting took place.

This time, it was a players-only meeting in the clubhouse. There was a delay in opening the clubhouse to members of the media after that loss because of it. No staff members were present. This time, players reiterated the message Hyde delivered days earlier.

The overwhelming theme was to let go of the past.

“It was almost like we were carrying results with us for too long over time,” the pitcher said. “We needed to draw a line in the sand and start over, really. Change up the way we’re going about things or thinking about things. We all got together and had a meeting of the minds and tried to wash away what has already happened.”

It included introspective questions for the entire roster to ponder.

“How’re we approaching the game?” the third position player said. “How’re we approaching our at-bats? How’re we approaching just going about winning? Is there a winning strategy within us, as players, excluding coaches? Is there a winning strategy within us as a team that we’re bringing out to the game? I think that was the question we were staring in the face.”

None of them, at that moment, felt a change in manager was imminent.

Right after the clubhouse opened to players Saturday morning, the fourth player said, a late change in their pregame schedule arrived. There was another team meeting on the docket, this one with all staff present.

All staff but two.

In walked Elias, and the message was to the point. Change was deemed necessary, and change came in the form of firing Hyde and bullpen coach Tim Cossins. Tony Mansolino would take over as interim manager, and with a game approaching in a few hours, Elias told them to be professionals, to go play as always.

But, before the meeting adjourned, Elias took accountability, ultimately, for the way the season was playing out. He reiterated his belief in the group assembled but also said he and the front office would work to improve fortunes.

The message was well received, but it didn’t allay some of the concerns that lingered from the winter. In the offseason, two sources said, there was awareness among members in the clubhouse that the lineup would be under pressure to produce at a high level, given the state of the starting pitching staff.

“You respect accountability. It’s his job to help our team win as much as possible, and he’s done a really good job getting a ton of really, really good people in this clubhouse,” the first position player said. “And we just haven’t found that many ways to win, I guess. I mean, obviously, it would be nice to have, I guess, a true ace.”

He continued: “It’s tough losing a guy like Corbin [Burnes]. Obviously, it was the best decision he could make, to be home and pitch where he lives and they [the Arizona Diamondbacks] have a really good team, so it’s tough to compete with that. You want to go out, or hope to go out, and get as many good players as possible to help our team win. But I think we have the offense. We just haven’t put it together.”

The third position player went back to last year’s trade deadline as a key point.

The Orioles traded longtime outfielder Austin Hays. And this offseason there were key departures: Burnes, outfielder Anthony Santander and catcher James McCann; among staff members, hitting coaches Ryan Fuller and Matt Borgschulte, and bench coach Fredi González, departed.

“You reflect back to last year and how a bunch of newer guys were coming in via trades. You try to build that camaraderie during that time frame, especially leading to the playoffs,” the player said. “It felt like you were almost repeating that cycle [this winter], which we knew was going to happen anyway. Just in a sense of trying to really bring a cohesiveness and an understanding of really what we’re trying to do going into the season, I don’t know if we fully reached it prior to day one.”

They still may have not reached it, over a quarter of the way into the season. The Orioles are in a hole, looking up from the bottom of the American League East standings. That wasn’t lost on anyone in the clubhouse.

Upper management deemed a change was necessary. Most in the clubhouse understand that decision, even though it comes at the expense of a well-liked manager.

“It’s eye-opening,” the pitcher said. “It makes it more real. This is where we’re at. Obviously, no one involved is happy with the way things have gone, and any way you can bring about any sort of a fresh start, I’m sure that’s what they’re trying to do.”