The first major trade of the MLB offseason occurred on Tuesday night, as the Los Angeles Angels sent outfielder Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez. As both teams look to put a disappointing 2025 behind them, Ward and Rodriguez are prepared to travel to their new homes. After the deal, the Athletic's Sam Blum shared Ward's words to his former Angels teammates via their 2025 group text thread.
“Just telling them how much I cared about them. I’ll be rooting for them,” Ward said of his text in a phone interview with Blum. “I wish nothing but the best for them all. And if anybody wants to chat, they can text me on the side.”
Ward is coming off a career year with the Angels. Despite hitting .228, Ward's 36 home runs and 103 RBIs helped pace the Halos' offense, alongside fellow outfielder Jo Adell's breakout campaign. The Orioles need a power bat like Ward in the heart of their lineup, and they have pitching to spare. Now, it's up to the outfielder to build on his best season yet in Baltimore. Will this trade work out for both Ward and the Angels?
Angels, Taylor Ward set to take separate paths moving forward
While Ward is set to join an Orioles lineup filled with young, emerging stars like shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Rodriguez is primed to pitch his first game in the majors since July 2024, when he suited up for Baltimore. While Yusei Kikuchi is a lock to return to the Halos' rotation, there are many questions behind him, including Rodriguez.
Yet, this deal could work out well for both sides. While both the Angels and Orioles missed the postseason last year, Baltimore is closer to returning than Los Angeles. Ward is one of the few pieces they were missing, in theory. Can the slugging outfielder not only build on a career year in 2026, but do so away from his first major league home with the Halos? If so, losing Rodriguez will indeed be worth it.
