A trade on Tuesday night cost one Angel in the outfield.
The Angels added right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez in a deal with the Orioles in exchange for outfielder Taylor Ward.
Rodriguez missed the entire 2025 season due to a lingering elbow injury that ultimately led to him requiring surgery in August.
The right back appeared in 43 games (all starts) for the Orioles after making his big league debut in 2023.
During that span, he posted a 4.11 ERA and struck out 259 batters while compiling a 20-8 record. Rodriguez, a former top prospect, is still under team control until 2029.
From the sounds of Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias at last week’s GM meetings in Las Vegas, it didn’t appear that Baltimore had any big plans for Rodriguez in 2026.
“You miss a year and two months, we have to be realistic about that, and it is not something we are working very heavily on. But he is a man who offers us a real wildcard in terms of talent,” said Elias, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com.
“Planning around that is something we have to hedge against,” Elias added. “But it would be great if he showed up and pitched for us the way he’s capable of doing so, and I think there’s a very good chance of that happening.”
Rumors swirled that Ward may have been moved by the Angels, with the outfielder entering his final year as team control.
Ward hit .228/.317/.475 with 36 home runs and 103 RBIs in 157 games with the Angels in 2025.
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