The Aporia · New report claims that Orioles latest round of layoffs was so brutal not even the mascot was safe

New report claims that Orioles latest round of layoffs was so brutal not even the mascot was safe

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Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Reigle, M. (2026, October 7). New report claims that Orioles latest round of layoffs was so brutal not even the mascot was safe. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/report-claims-orioles-latest-round-layoffs-so-brutal-not-even-mascot-was-safe

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

The Baltimore Orioles recently underwent layoffs that affected several departments, including letting go of the performer who plays the team’s mascot, "Oriole Bird," and another gameday character, Mr. Splash. According to The Athletic's report by Brittany Ghiroli, cuts also impacted staff in ticket sales, graphic design, photography, and other areas within the business department. While the team confirmed these layoffs, they declined to comment on specific employee matters but assured fans that mascot characters would remain part of the game-day experience, albeit with different performers.

Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

More than two dozen employees, including those who played Oriole Bird and Mr. Splash, were let go by the Baltimore Orioles as part of a round of layoffs in May 2023. The cuts affected various departments such as ticket sales, graphic design, and photography. Despite the reductions, the team stated they would continue recruiting for critical roles and added that the Bird Bath section in left field will remain operational without Mr. Splash. Orioles President of Business Operations Catie Griggs noted in an internal memo that the layoffs were not about reducing headcount overall but rather reallocating resources. The extent of the layoff was described as a "bloodbath" by some sources, highlighting the severity of the cuts within the organization.

Written for “Orioles Mass Layoffs” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 46% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Orioles mascot among organization’s mass layoff ‘bloodbath’ Same event

New York Post

Hedges 3 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

46%

6 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

68/100

Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Sports

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6479 article(s) · 12 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 12 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Matt Reigle

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 70 articles by Matt Reigle →

Topics

Athletic Baltimore Orioles FOX FOX News Orioles

Subjects

Orioles ORG · 2× Athletic ORG · 1× Baltimore Orioles ORG · 1× Brittany Ghiroli PERSON · 1× FOX ORG · 1× FOX News ORG · 1× Splash PERSON · 1× The Baltimore Sun ORG · 1× The O's ORG · 1×

Narrative

Multiple outlets reported Tuesday that the Orioles went through a round of layoffs, and one casualty was the performer who plays the team's mascot, the "Oriole Bird." The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli reported that the cuts affected not only the mascot, but also the team's photographer and staff in the ticket sales and graphic design departments.

framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07

🔮 But in the world of sports, if there was one gig that was bulletproof on this front, I always thought that would be the mascot.

2026-10-07 · Fox News

New report claims that Orioles latest round of layoffs was so brutal not even the mascot was safe · mixed framing

Claims (13 extracted, 6 hedged)

No one likes to hear the word "layoffs" because it's always terrible when someone loses their job. asserted

someone → like → job

But in the world of sports, if there was one gig that was bulletproof on this front, I always thought that would be the mascot. asserted

that → be → front

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. uncertain

page → contain → partners

If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. uncertain

News → sign → wager

This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom. asserted

that → create → newsroom

However, according to a new report on the Baltimore Orioles situation, I appear to have been mistaken. uncertain

I → accord → situation

cuts → report → departments

Another gameday character, Mr. Splash — who would spray water on people when the Orioles delivered an extra-base hit — was also reportedly laid off. uncertain

Orioles → spray → hit

The team spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the cuts were made to the organization's business department, but said that they would not comment on employee matters. As you might have expected, the news was not well-received by fans. However, despite the layoff news, it does not sound like the characters themselves are going anywhere. uncertain

characters → confirm → news

According to The Baltimore Sun, the team plans to backfill both roles with employees already on staff. uncertain

team → accord → staff

So, no, the t-shirt cannon will not be silenced. asserted

cannon → silence → ?

It's great to hear that the characters will still be around, but a huge shame that the folks who have put in time as those characters and helped make them as popular as they are won't be. asserted

they → hear → characters

The O's finished this season fourth in the AL East with a record just a shade under .500 at 79-83. asserted

O → finish → 79