Will outfielder Taylor Ward be a good fit with the Orioles?
The Orioles were in need for a power bat, but was it worth the price?
Updated: 12:42 PM EST Nov 19, 2025
The Orioles made their first significant move Tuesday night by trading for outfielder Taylor Ward for pitcher Grayson Rodriguez. Ward, 31, is a power-hitting left fielder coming off the most productive season of his career, hitting 36 home runs and driving in 103 runs for the Los Angeles Angels in 2025. He will be penciled in at left field for the Orioles, and he will add a much-needed power bat in the middle of the lineup.He only hit .228 last year but is a career .247 hitter during his eight seasons with the Angels. Ward was a first-round pick back in 2015 and made his major league debut in 2018. He has been a full-time starter since 2022 and played in 157 games last season. He is a veteran bat that fills a need, but will he fit in with the Orioles, and was it worth the price?Does he fit with the team?Ward joins an outfield that will feature Colton Cowser in center field and Tyler O’Neill in right. They added Leody Taveras as a fourth outfielder, while prospects like Dylan Beavers, Heston Krestad, Jeremiah Jackson, and Enrique Bradfield Jr. will also get a chance.He will bring a veteran presence that the team has needed and brings durability to the position, playing over 155 games the past two seasons. This team did not have one player appear in 100 games as an outfielder after having three in 2024. It was a revolving door of outfielders last season, with eight different players appearing in at least 30 games, so Ward will bring some stability to the position.Defensively, he has been an average player for most of his career with below-average speed, but the Orioles brought him in for his bat, and his 36 home runs doubled the amount of last year’s home run leaders. Was it worth it?The one-for-one trade for Rodriguez signified the end of an era, as the 2018 first-round pick is the last prospect from the former Orioles front office. He missed the entire 2025 season with multiple injuries and has had injury issues throughout his career. Despite being drafted in 2018, he has only played in 43 games for the Orioles in two major league seasons. That being said, he is still only 26 years old and has multiple years of control left (not of free agent until 2029). Ward will be a free agent after next season and may just be a one-year rental given his age, and especially if some of the outfield prospects show promise. Some may feel the price was too high, especially if Rodriguez is healthy and ready for next season. He flashed signs of the front-line starter he was drafted to be in 2024, but has never been able to stay healthy. The Orioles are still in need of starting pitching, so trading away a young one with years of control for an outfielder that could leave after this season may not be the answer.Grade: B-The front office may have believed that Rodriguez was not a factor in next year’s rotation and it was time to part ways by filling a need with Ward. If they are able to acquire some starting pitching help, then this move will make more sense. Ward does fill a need, as this team was in desperate need of consistent power, but time will tell on this trade, mostly due to Rodriguez’s slim potential as a front-line starter.
BALTIMORE —
The Orioles made their first significant move Tuesday night by trading for outfielder Taylor Ward for pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.
Ward, 31, is a power-hitting left fielder coming off the most productive season of his career, hitting 36 home runs and driving in 103 runs for the Los Angeles Angels in 2025. He will be penciled in at left field for the Orioles, and he will add a much-needed power bat in the middle of the lineup.
He only hit .228 last year but is a career .247 hitter during his eight seasons with the Angels. Ward was a first-round pick back in 2015 and made his major league debut in 2018. He has been a full-time starter since 2022 and played in 157 games last season. He is a veteran bat that fills a need, but will he fit in with the Orioles, and was it worth the price?
Does he fit with the team?
Ward joins an outfield that will feature Colton Cowser in center field and Tyler O’Neill in right. They added Leody Taveras as a fourth outfielder, while prospects like Dylan Beavers, Heston Krestad, Jeremiah Jackson, and Enrique Bradfield Jr. will also get a chance.
He will bring a veteran presence that the team has needed and brings durability to the position, playing over 155 games the past two seasons. This team did not have one player appear in 100 games as an outfielder after having three in 2024. It was a revolving door of outfielders last season, with eight different players appearing in at least 30 games, so Ward will bring some stability to the position.
Defensively, he has been an average player for most of his career with below-average speed, but the Orioles brought him in for his bat, and his 36 home runs doubled the amount of last year’s home run leaders.
Was it worth it?
The one-for-one trade for Rodriguez signified the end of an era, as the 2018 first-round pick is the last prospect from the former Orioles front office. He missed the entire 2025 season with multiple injuries and has had injury issues throughout his career. Despite being drafted in 2018, he has only played in 43 games for the Orioles in two major league seasons.
That being said, he is still only 26 years old and has multiple years of control left (not of free agent until 2029). Ward will be a free agent after next season and may just be a one-year rental given his age, and especially if some of the outfield prospects show promise.
Some may feel the price was too high, especially if Rodriguez is healthy and ready for next season. He flashed signs of the front-line starter he was drafted to be in 2024, but has never been able to stay healthy. The Orioles are still in need of starting pitching, so trading away a young one with years of control for an outfielder that could leave after this season may not be the answer.
Grade: B-
The front office may have believed that Rodriguez was not a factor in next year’s rotation and it was time to part ways by filling a need with Ward. If they are able to acquire some starting pitching help, then this move will make more sense. Ward does fill a need, as this team was in desperate need of consistent power, but time will tell on this trade, mostly due to Rodriguez’s slim potential as a front-line starter.
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