Angels Trade Ward to Orioles for Rodriguez

The Los Angeles Angels traded outfielder Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night in exchange for right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, marking one of the first significant moves of Major League Baseball's offseason. The deal addresses key roster needs for both teams as they prepare for the 2026 season.

Ward, 31, enjoyed a breakout year in 2025 with the Angels, hitting a career-high 36 home runs and driving in 103 runs while posting a .228 batting average and .792 on-base-plus-slugging percentage over 152 games. Selected by the Angels in the first round of the 2015 draft, Ward had spent his entire eight-year major league career with the organization, appearing in 704 games. He enters the final year of his contract in 2026 and is projected to earn about $13.7 million through arbitration before becoming a free agent at season's end.

For the Orioles, Ward arrives as a much-needed power addition to an outfield that struggled in 2025. Baltimore finished last in the American League East after trading away Cedric Mullins and Ramon Laureano midseason, leaving a group featuring Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson and Heston Kjerstad that collectively produced negative wins above...