The Royals have been reportedly interested in Taylor Ward as far back as the summer of 2024, when they were making their push for the playoffs with an offense full of holes. The team has been unable to patch those holes up so far, and one potential solution was stymied last night when the Orioles acquired Ward from the Angels in exchange for pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.
The move was met with a lot of head-scratching around baseball. Baltimore GM Mike Elias is generally considered one of the brightest in the game, turning a moribund Orioles franchise into a serious contender in 2024, although they stumbled this year. Taylor Ward is a much-needed boost to their lineup, hitting .228/.317/.475 with a career-high 36 home runs this past season. But the skillset he brings to the table – terrific power and a high-strikeout, low batting average approach – was already well represented on the Orioles outfield. Ward is also a free agent at the end of the season, giving them just one year of club control.
More befuddling was the return. The problem with the Orioles last year was pitching – they gave up the sixth-most runs in baseball. But they traded away a 26-year-old pitcher who was once considered one of the top ten prospects in baseball, who has struck out 9.8 hitters per nine innings in his 43 career starts with a decent 4.11 ERA. Rodriguez was available because he missed all of last year following debridement surgery on his right elbow. He also missed time in 2024 with lat and right shoulder issues. Perhaps the medicals don’t look great with him. But the upside is pretty high if he can stay healthy over the next four seasons that the Angels retain his rights.
The Angels had reportedly been asking for a very high price for Ward over the last 18 months that his name has swirled around in trade rumors. It seems unlikely the Royals could have paid this price in a way that made sense for them. Kris Bubic fits Rodriguez’s profile as a high-upside pitcher with injury concerns, but he only has one year of club control left before he hits free agency. That won’t be attractive to an Angels team still a long way from contending. Noah Cameron would be far too much to give up for one year of Ward. Don’t even ask about Cole Ragans. And the Angels are unlikely to be too interested in expensive older pitchers like Seth Lugo or Michael Wacha. Perhaps the best bet was offering Ryan Bergert and a prospect, but he does not carry the kind of upside that would trump an offer of Grayson Rodriguez.
The trade could mean the Angels hang onto outfielder Jo Adell, although frankly, anyone should be on the table for an organization that hasn’t had a winning season since Obama was president. The market for hitters – which already seemed a bit thin – has begun to dry up this week, with Trent Grisham and Gleyber Torres returning to their old clubs and Josh Naylor staying with the Mariners.
Still, the offseason requires discipline. I understand the anxiousness of fans who want the team to be aggressive and make a deal early in the offseason to address the weak offense. But better to be patient and make a good deal than rush into a trade that gives up too much for a limited return.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.royalsreview.com ’
