The Baltimore Orioles have acquired outfielder Taylor Ward from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, in a move that seeks to cover specific needs for both teams.
The Orioles were looking for an outfielder with offensive power and get it in Ward, who is in his last season before free agency. For their part, the Angels needed a high-level starter and hope to find it in Rodriguez, a promising prospect who was out of action in the 2025 season due to an injury.
Rodriguez, 26 years old, whose contract gives the team four more years of control, was selected in the number 11 position in 2018 and showed potential in his first two seasons in the Major Leagues, with an ERA of 4.11 and 259 strikeouts in 238¾ innings from 2023 to 2024. However, an elbow injury emerged in spring training of 2025 and reappeared in the summer, which required surgery to remove bone fragments, preventing him from pitching the entire season.
Rodriguez is expected to be ready for spring training.
Ward, who will turn 32 next month, was selected in the 26th position as a catcher in 2015, then became a third baseman and found a place in left field. His biggest adjustment was modifying his swing to adopt a patient but powerful approach, which fully manifested in the last two seasons. From 2024 to 2025, Ward batted .237/.320/.450 with 61 home runs and 178 RBIs, and ranked 25th among 316 hitters in terms of chase rate.
By trading for Ward, the Angels cleared an excess of outfielders, including Mike Trout, Jo Adell, and Jorge Soler. They are 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. The Orioles were already expected to be one of the most aggressive teams in search of starting pitchers this offseason, and Rodriguez’s departure makes that need even more urgent.
Not long ago, Rodriguez was expected to lead their rotation. He had an ERA of 2.26 in the last 12 starts of his rookie season in 2023, then started 2024 with an ERA of 3.86 and 130 strikeouts in 116⅔ innings through the end of July. An injury forced him to miss the last two months, but the Orioles still counted on him to be a major contributor in 2025.
The presence of Rodriguez was one of the main reasons why management did not act more aggressively in the search for external help, and his injury became one of the main reasons why the team did not meet expectations.
In the Angels, he will be integrated into the rotation alongside Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano and reliever Reid Detmers, with the hope of reinforcing a pitching staff that led the American League in effectiveness in 2025. By trading Ward for Rodriguez, who is still in the pre-arbitration stage of his career, the Angels saved approximately $13 million in salary for 2026.
