The Baltimore Orioles acquired outfielder Taylor Ward from the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night in exchange for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez in one of the first big moves of the baseball offseason.
Ward, 31, hit a career-high 36 home runs last season and will join an Orioles team hoping to bounce back after falling to last place in the American League East. To achieve this, Baltimore gave up the injured RodrÃguez, who was considered a potential ace for the Orioles but missed the entire 2025 season due to elbow and bib problems.
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Rodriguez, 26, is 20-8 with a 4.11 ERA in 43 major league starts.
It’s a trade that could be fascinating to look back on in a couple of years, given Rodriguez’s boom-or-bust potential, but Baltimore was clearly looking for another bat after some of its young hitters disappointed this season.
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