The hot stove is cooking early in MLB. A couple of weeks ago, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the Los Angeles Angels were willing to trade one of their two star outfielders in Jo Adell and Taylor Ward.
Well, on Tuesday night, the Baltimore Orioles pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Taylor Ward from the Angels in return for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez. Reports courtesy of ESPN.com.
Taylor Ward turns 32 next month and is coming off a great offseason where he hit 36 home runs and drove in 103 runs. He’s spent all eight seasons of his career with the Angels and has 113 career home runs.
Angels Complete Trade with Orioles in Player-Swap Deal
The rumor mill was swirling over the past month about Taylor Ward potentially being traded, but the Baltimore Orioles are ultimately the team that lands the powerful outfielder.
As for Grayson Rodriguez being a part of the deal, he missed all of 2025 with an elbow injury and hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since July 31, 2024. Over his career, Rodriguez has made 43 career starts and a career 4.11 ERA in 238.2 innings. He’s still just 26 years old.
GettyTaylor Ward hit 9 home runs in May.
Once a top prospect in baseball, Rodriguez now has something to prove after being traded from the Orioles organization, which brought him up. His contract is a little more favorable for the Angels to take on, which makes this deal make sense. The Angels are clearly getting ahead of Taylor Ward’s free agency by moving him now. Rodriguez has yet to hit his arbitration years, and still has several years ahead of free agency.
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What Trade Means for Both Orioles and Angels
Starting with the Baltimore Orioles, this is an aggressive move to kick off free agency. Credit to Mike Elias for going out and addressing a top need early on in the offseason. After losing Cedric Mullins via trade and Tyler O’Neill being injured last season, a clear need was an outfielder.
The same can be said for the new Los Angeles Angels regime. Pitching has been an issue for the Angels for several years, and this move may allow Rodriguez to develop into an ace for years to come. He’s shown that he has a powerful arsenal, but health is the biggest question surrounding the right-handed starter.
As for Baltimore’s starting rotation, that remains an issue. However, if this move is an indication of potential moves to come later in the winter, Baltimore may be headed in the right direction on that front soon.
According to Baseball Reference.com, Taylor Ward is projected to hit 26 home runs and drive in 77 runs next season. Ward has three seasons of hitting 20+ home runs, and they’ve all come since 2022.
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