BALTIMORE — The Orioles’ top priority this offseason is to add pitching, both starters and relievers. But the team is also in the market for veteran hitters, particularly right-handed bats to balance its lefty-heavy lineup.
On Tuesday night, Baltimore landed a righty hitter — and in stunning fashion, as it parted with a promising young pitcher in the process.
The O’s acquired outfielder Taylor Ward from the Angels in a 1-for-1 trade that sent right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to Los Angeles. It was a surprising move, considering Rodriguez is a former top prospect who has shown a ton of potential when healthy.
However, therein lies the issue — the 26-year-old Rodriguez hasn’t been healthy often enough. The 2018 first-round Draft pick hasn’t thrown a pitch in a big league game since July 31, 2024, as he missed the entire ‘25 season due to elbow/lat injuries. His 2024 campaign was also cut short due to right lat/teres discomfort.
Ward, 31, should be a solid addition to Baltimore’s outfield mix. The eight-year MLB veteran is a career .247 hitter, having spent his entire big league career with the Halos.
Entering his final year of arbitration before potentially becoming a free agent after the 2026 season, Ward is coming off a ‘25 campaign in which he set career bests in doubles (31), home runs (36) and RBIs (103) while hitting .228 with a .792 OPS over a career-high 157 games. The 2015 first-round pick has slugged 98 homers in 545 games over the past four seasons.
The O’s ranked 23rd in average (.231) and 22nd in OPS (.661) against left-handed pitching this past season, while Ward hit .262 with a .918 OPS against southpaws. His 20.7% chase rate overall was in the 92nd percentile in MLB.
Ward has spent the majority of his MLB career in left field (433 games), though he also has a bit of experience in right (195), center (19) and third base (46).
With Ward in the fold, the Orioles could be more likely to start Colton Cowser in center, where he spent a lot of time during the final two months of this past season after Cedric Mullins was traded to the Mets on July 31. Ward, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers (Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 83 overall) and Heston Kjerstad will all be in the mix in the corners.
Perhaps the Orioles aren’t done tinkering with their outfield group, but it could also be set. President of baseball operations Mike Elias made it seem like the team may be fine with Cowser handling center while speaking at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas last week, despite its preference to have Cowser in a corner since his debut in 2023.
“I think he’s proven he can do it defensively,” Elias said of Cowser’s play in center.
It’s also now worth going back to Elias’ comments about Rodriguez from last week.
Rodriguez recorded a 4.11 ERA in 43 starts over his first two MLB seasons (2023 and ‘24), but he appeared to turn a corner in the latter, when he posted a 3.86 ERA in 20 outings. But that’s when the persistent injury issues derailed his progression.
Entering 2026, Baltimore likely couldn’t have banked on getting significant innings from Rodriguez, which Elias alluded to in Las Vegas.
“You miss a year and two months and we’ve got to be realistic about that, it’s not something that we’re planning around very heavily,” Elias said. “This guy hasn’t pitched since August 2024, and planning around that is something that we’ve got to hedge against.”
The Orioles still have the makings of a strong rotation in place. Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers are set to lead the staff, with Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Cade Povich likely rounding out the group if the season began today. The roster also features Albert Suárez (the probable long man for the bullpen) and Brandon Young as depth.
But Baltimore is targeting another top-tier starter, whether it comes via free agency (somebody like Dylan Cease or Michael King) or a trade (maybe someone like Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta). The need is further magnified with the loss of Rodriguez.
Ward could be a nice get for the O’s, who are aiming to immediately bounce back from their disappointing 75-87 performance in 2025. But the work in Baltimore this winter is only beginning.
