Orioles Acquire Taylor Ward in a Trade with the Angels
The Baltimore Orioles have finalized an interesting trade with the Los Angeles Angels, acquiring outfielder Taylor Ward in exchange for right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez. This move, announced Tuesday night, addresses specific needs for both teams.
The Orioles were looking to bolster their offense with a power hitter, and Ward, who is in his final year before free agency, fits that profile perfectly. For their part, the Angels needed a high-caliber starter and hope to find him in Rodriguez, a promising prospect who was affected by an injury in the 2025 season.
Rodriguez, 26 years old, whose contract gives the team four more years of control, was selected in the 11th position in the 2018 draft. In his first two seasons in the Major Leagues, he showed great potential, with an ERA of 4.11 and 259 strikeouts in 238⅔ innings between 2023 and 2024. However, an elbow injury suffered in spring training of 2025, which reappeared in the summer, forced him to undergo surgery, preventing him from playing the entire season.
Despite this, Rodriguez is expected to be ready for spring training.
Ward, who will turn 32 next month, was selected in the 26th position in 2015 as a catcher, but then became a third baseman and finally found his place in left field. His biggest adjustment was the transformation of his swing, adopting a patient and powerful approach that fully manifested in the last two seasons. Between 2024 and 2025, Ward had a batting average of .237/.320/.450 with 61 home runs and 178 RBIs, and ranked 25th among 316 hitters in terms of chase rate.
By trading Ward, the Angels clear the way for their outfielders, including Mike Trout, Jo Adell, and Jorge Soler. The team is still looking to add a center fielder.
In the Orioles, Ward can provide consistent production in the outfield alongside Colton Cowser and Tyler O’Neill. Rodriguez’s departure makes the Orioles’ need to seek help for their pitching staff even more urgent.
In the recent past, Rodriguez was expected to lead the Orioles’ rotation. In the last 12 starts of his rookie season in 2023, he had an ERA of 2.26, and he started 2024 with an ERA of 3.86 and 130 strikeouts in 116⅔ innings through the end of July. A lat muscle injury forced him to miss the last two months, but the Orioles still counted on him as a key contributor for the following season.
The presence of Rodriguez was one of the main reasons why management didn’t act more aggressively in seeking external help, and his injury became one of the main causes of the team not meeting expectations. In the Angels, he will integrate into the rotation alongside Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano, and reliever Reid Detmers, with the hope of strengthening a pitching staff that led the American League in effectiveness in 2025. Furthermore, by trading Ward for Rodriguez, who is still in the pre-arbitration stage, the Angels saved approximately $13 million in salary for 2026.
