Report: Astros executive Mike Elias to become Orioles GM

The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly on the verge of landing their new general manager.

Houston Astros assistant general manager Mike Elias will be hired as the new Orioles GM, barring a last-minute change of heart, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.

Elias has been with the Astros since January 2012 and helped oversee the club's farm system. He was one of the minds behind the decision to select shortstop Carlos Correa with the first overall pick in the 2012 draft. He's been an assistant GM since 2016. Prior to his tenure with the Astros, Elias worked in the St. Louis Cardinals organization as a scout.

If Elias does land the Orioles job, it's expected that he'll be joined in their front office by another former Astros executive in Sig Mejdal, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported early Wednesday morning. Mejdal, a former NASA engineer, served as a special assistant to Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and was an important analyst in their front office prior to leaving the team in October.

After finishing with a 47-115 record (the worst in baseball) and trading several key players - Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Brad Brach, Jonathan Schoop, and Kevin Gausman - for prospects, Baltimore is entering a rebuild.

The Orioles have been on the hunt for a new GM since parting ways with Dan Duquette in early October. Duquette had served in the role since 2011.

Baltimore remains the only major-league team without a manager in place for the upcoming season after it fired Buck Showalter last month.