As the MLB world grappled with which players did and didn't pick up their qualifying offers, the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels made a massive trade with serious 2026 ramifications, exchanging outfielder Taylor Ward and pitcher Grayson Rodrigues in a one-for-one swap.
Taking to social media to announce the move, ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan broke down the move and why each team made it, highlighting the very different outlooks for the two organizations.
“Trade news: Taylor Ward is going to Baltimore, and Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels. The Orioles get the power-hitting outfielder they've been seeking, and the Angels get back a young arm. Quite a trade,” Passan wrote.
“Taylor Ward is a free agent after the 2026 season. Baltimore, which has been looking for pitching, gave up a 26-year-old in Grayson Rodriguez, who isn't a free agent until after 2029. He also missed all of the 2025 season with arm issues and is coming off an elbow cleanup.”
Initially drafted in the 1st round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Cal State Fresno, Ward slowly but surely worked his way up the Angels' system, making his major league debut in 2018. Over his eight years in Anaheim, Ward became a serious weapon at the plate for the Angels, hitting at least 100 balls in three seasons while reaching a new career-high in home runs, 36, last season in just 157 games.
Now heading to an Orioles team that largely underwhelmed versus expectations in 2025, if Ward can provide the power Baltimore has been missing at the plate, saying goodbye to a young, ascending pitcher will be worth the price of admission.
