New Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was the first name Mike Elias heard when the freshly minted executive vice president and general manager began making calls to research for his managerial search, and every subsequent call Elias made circled him back to the Cubs bench coach.
Then, all it took was getting in a room together for the pair to realize that the fit was real, culminating in Monday's unveiling at Camden Yards that introduced Hyde as the 20th manager in club history.
"What just stood out throughout the entire process for me, for us, were Brandon's unique qualifications and experiences for this job," Elias said.