The Orioles will begin a search for a new director of draft operations after Brad Ciolek, who has held the role in Baltimore since 2021, accepted a new role with the Washington Nationals, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Baltimore Banner.

Ciolek will become Washington’s senior director of amateur scouting, the source said.

Ciolek joined the Orioles in 2013 as an amateur scout. He worked his way up as one of the few front office executives to remain after general manager Mike Elias took over in late 2018. By 2019, Ciolek had become a supervisor of domestic scouting before his 2021 promotion to the head of draft operations in Baltimore.

Ciolek played a major part in selecting key pieces of Baltimore’s top-ranked farm system. Those players include prospects Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, Joey Ortiz, Adley Rutschman, Heston Kjerstad, Connor Norby, Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser.

The Nationals are undergoing a major overhaul of their scouting department. Last week, Washington hired Danny Haas as scouting director. Haas also worked in Baltimore, overlapping with Ciolek for several years prior to moving to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The news of Ciolek’s hire was first reported by baseball writer Keith Law.

andy.kostka@thebaltimorebanner.com