The Orioles weren’t done making 40-man roster moves early this evening.
In a surprising piece of news, the Orioles have traded pitcher Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward. They get the power bat that fits in the most logical space for it. They surrender the future ace who never got to that level.
The teams made the announcement late tonight.
Ward turns 32 next month and is a rental with free agency coming after the 2026 season. The Angels made him the 26th overall selection in the 2015 draft out of Fresno State and he’s hit .247/.327/.439 in 704 games in eight seasons. He’s appeared in 156 and 157 games over the last two with 663 plate appearances in both seasons.
The Dayton, Ohio native is coming off a career year with 31 doubles, 36 home runs, 103 RBIs, 75 walks and 86 runs scored. He also posted a .228 average that’s his lowest over a full season.
Ward finished tied for fifth in the American League in home runs, ranked sixth in RBIs and seventh in walks and extra-base hits (69). He’s only the third Angel since 2018 to drive in 100 runs after Mike Trout (104 in 2019) and Shohei Ohtani (100 in 2021).
Though he’s played every outfield position, all of his starts the last three seasons have come in left. Thirty-five of his homers this season came as the left fielder to set a franchise record.
The Orioles were searching for a right-handed bat and got one with Ward, whose arrival could keep Colton Cowser in center field. The right-handed hitting Tyler O’Neill and left-handed hitting Dylan Beavers also are in the outfield mix, and the Orioles added switch-hitting Leody Taveras earlier this month.
Ward, who’s also played third base, is a career .283/.354/.470 hitter against left-handed pitching. He’s slashed .260/.302/.420 with two doubles and two home runs in 13 games at Camden Yards.
The Orioles’ list of arbitration-eligible players rises to 13, with MLBTradeRumors.com projecting Ward’s salary at $13.7 million.
Rodriguez was supposed to become the staff ace but never made it due to injuries. He was the 11th overall pick in 2018 and went 20-8 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.291 WHIP in 43 starts from 2023-24.
The Angels are getting a pitcher who hasn’t appeared in a major league game since July 31, 2024 but is under team control through 2029. Multiple lat injuries have sidelined Rodriguez and he underwent an elbow debridement procedure in August.
President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias expected Rodriguez to be ready by spring training and referred to him recently as a “wild card” on the staff.
“There’s nothing going on right now that would hold him back,” Elias said. “He’s not injured right now and he’s preparing for spring training, but the poor guy’s missed a year and two months basically, and we’ve got to be mindful of that, and I think he’s a really nice wild card talent for us, and I’m really optimistic and bullish about it. But the fact that he’s missed so much time recently, we just have to be prudent about that.
“We don’t want to plan around him too heavily, but I really like where he’s at.”
Rodriguez will be in Arizona for camp and keep trying to reach his high ceiling in Anaheim.
