The Los Angeles Angels traded outfielder Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez on Tuesday.
Ward spent his entire eight-year career in Los Angeles and is eligible to become a free agent in 2027.
As for Rodriguez, he started 43 games for the Orioles from 2023-24 before missing the entire 2025 season after undergoing elbow surgery.
Ward is an intriguing addition for a Baltimore squad looking to add more right-handed batters to its lineup entering the offseason. He’s a career .247 hitter and is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he posted a .792 OPS, the second-highest mark of his career.
The 31-year-old also set new career-high marks with 31 doubles, 36 home runs and 103 RBI last season. Ward has showcased his power at the plate as of late, with 75 of his 113 career homers coming over his past three seasons.
For the Angels, they’ll be hoping that Rodriguez looks like his former self after recovering from surgery.
He was steadily blossoming into a serviceable piece of Baltimore’s rotation prior to the procedure, posting a 13-4 record in 20 starts during his 2023 campaign to go along with a 3.86 ERA and 1.243 WHIP.
Rodriguez also recorded 130 strikeouts compared to just 36 walks across 116.2 innings of work, averaging 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings during his two years in the majors.
The Orioles are looking to bounce back from a 75-87 finish last season, while the Angels will be searching for their first postseason appearance since 2014 in 2026.