This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Taylor Ward has meant a lot to the organization since being drafted as a catcher with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, making multiple position changes — including playing third base — before finally settling into left field and developing into an above-average hitter over the last five seasons.
But ultimately, contracts matter, and the ability to acquire a tantalizing potential ace in Grayson Rodriguez was too much to pass up. Ward is set to earn roughly $13 million to 14 million in his last year of arbitration before free agency, while Rodriguez isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2027 and has four years of control.
There’s still risk involved, however, as Rodriguez has dealt with injuries early in his career and didn’t pitch last season after dealing with right elbow inflammation, a lat strain and having bone spurs removed from his right elbow in August. And Ward has been durable, playing in 156 games in ’24 and 157 in ’25 despite missing the last two months of the ’23 season after suffering facial fractures on a hit-by-pitch in Toronto.
But Minasian and Rodriguez both said they expect the right-hander to be ready for Spring Training, and Rodriguez said the bone spurs had bothered him for three or four seasons and were the root cause of his other injuries. He’s likely to be eased back into action in ’26 after throwing 122 innings in ’23 and 116 2/3 innings in ’24, but he gives the rotation plenty of upside.
Rodriguez, 26, was ranked as the second-best pitching prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline before his rookie season and has a career 4.11 ERA with 259 strikeouts and 78 walks in 238 2/3 innings. But the Angels believe there’s even more to unlock given his plus stuff, as his fastball averaged 96.1 mph in 2024, and his changeup, slider and curveball are all out pitches. With his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame and high three-quarter arm slot, he also gets elite extension.
Rodriguez already spoke with pitching coach Mike Maddux, as well as his catchers Logan O’Hoppe and Travis d’Arnaud and outfielder Mike Trout. He said he grew up watching the Rangers and Astros in Nacogdoches, Texas, and that Maddux was the first pitching coach he ever learned about.
Rodriguez said he’s excited to work with Maddux and doesn’t believe his mechanics are the reason for his injury woes in recent years. But he said he’s open to any tweaks from Maddux, given his extensive history as a pitching coach.
The move also brings up more questions this offseason for the Angels, who saved money with the trade and are now approximately $40 million under their payroll total from last year. Minasian hasn’t said what the payroll will be next year, but it’ll be worth monitoring to see how they allocate their resources going forward, especially now that they could try to find a replacement for Ward in the outfield.
Minasian has stated the Angels still want to acquire one more starter, and they’re also in the market for bullpen help, with closer Kenley Jansen a free agent. Third base is also a need, as injury-prone Anthony Rendon is headed into the final year of his contract, but now they could look to add a center fielder to the mix to join fellow outfielders Jo Adell, Jorge Soler and Trout.
It’s also fair to wonder what they could get if they traded Adell, given that he has two years of control remaining, but it doesn’t seem likely after moving Ward. They also have to figure out who will play left field, although Adell could easily move over there with Trout and Soler splitting time in right. But it also could be hard to count on Trout or Soler to play much outfield, given their injury concerns and Trout’s move to designated hitter after suffering a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee in late April.
The Angels have Bryce Teodosio as an internal option in center but would love to find a veteran left-handed-hitting center fielder. Free agent Cedric Mullins could be a fit, while if they wanted to swing for the fences they could go after Cody Bellinger, although he’s expected to be out of their price range.
They also have Gustavo Campero, Matthew Lugo and Kyren Paris as outfield depth options and top prospect Nelson Rada (No. 7) on the way, but that shouldn’t stop them from trying to find a true center fielder.
Either way, things just got a lot more interesting for the Angels, who made the first big trade of the offseason.
