Orioles poach prime Guardians trade target in deal with Angels 

When former Cleveland Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz was introduced as the new manager of the Baltimore Orioles, he talked about how excited he was to build a winner in Baltimore. 

The team’s front office took a huge step toward doing that on Tuesday night by acquiring Angels outfielder Taylor Ward in a trade in exchange for young starter Grayson Rodriguez. 

While the trade doesn’t impact the Guardians in the same way as the Twins or Tigers making a trade for Ward, it takes one outfield option who could have helped the Guardians off the board. 

Ward, 31, is set to be a free agent after the season and had previously spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Angels. He’s coming off a season where he set a new career-high in home runs (36) and RBI (103). 

Guardians fans have long admired Ward from a distance, especially when you consider Cleveland’s long-standing struggles in the outfield. Now he’s another potential trade target who got away. 

One Guardians outfield target is off the board after the Orioles’ trade for Taylor Ward 

Although Ward’s time with the Angels didn’t correspond with much winning, he was still a valuable and consistent piece (he’s hit 20+ home runs in three of the last four seasons) who will be an immediate boon in Baltimore’s outfield. 

The trade is even more frustrating considering the Orioles were able to get it done with just Rodriguez. He slowly climbed prospect rankings after Baltimore selected him with the No. 11 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. In 2022, MLB Pipeline had him ranked as the top pitching prospect in all of baseball.

That said, he hasn’t been able to put it together in the big leagues. He posted a 4.35 ERA in 122 innings in 2023 before posting a 3.86 ERA in 116 2/3 innings the next season. That still stands as his last MLB action, as he hasn’t pitched since July 2024 due to shoulder and lat injuries. 

That uncertainty didn’t scare off the Angels, who seem comfortable rolling the dice on an injured pitcher. Although the Guardians don’t have a pitcher who has the pure upside of Rodriguez, they have a stable of young pitchers led by guys like Parker Messick, Gavin Williams and Joey Cantillo. 

Ward being traded doesn’t mean the dream is dead with the Angels, however. Earlier this offseason MLB Network insider Jon Morosi reported the Angels were listening to offers on Ward and fellow outfielder Jo Adell, who could still be on the trade block even after the Angels’ trade of Ward. 

Adell bested Ward with 37 home runs last season (albeit with a .293 on-base percentage), and would likely be available for a trade package highlighted by another young pitcher like Rodriguez. 

Baltimore’s acquisition of Ward was the first domino to fall in the outfield trade market. We’ll have to wait and see if the Guardians end up dipping their toes into that market this offseason.