Baltimore Orioles acquire outfielder Taylor Ward from LA Angels for Grayson Rodriguez

The Baltimore Orioles traded for power-hitting outfielder Taylor Ward, the team announced on Tuesday.

Ward, who hit 36 home runs last season with the Los Angeles Angels, is headed to Baltimore, with former top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez going to the Angels.

Ward, 31, will be a free agent after the 2026 season, according to ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan, while 26-year-old Rodriguez will be under the Angels' control until after the 2029 season.

Ward by the numbers

Ward is coming off his best power-hitting season of his career. This past season, he hit .228 with 36 home runs with 103 RBIs. He had 25 home runs and 75 RBIs in 2024.

During his eight-year career, all with the Angels, Ward has a .247 batting average with 113 home runs and 345 RBIs.

Once a top prospect

Rodriguez, who once was the Orioles' top prospect, missed the entire 2025 season with an elbow injury.

He was selected 11th overall in the first round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft.

Rodriguez has a career 20-8 record with a 4.11 ERA, with 259 strikeouts.

In 2024, he posted a 13-4 record with a 3.86 ERA, but got injured in August and missed the remainder of that season. He started the 2025 season on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He had season-ending elbow surgery in August.