Angels secure a top prospect with huge upside. Is this the game-changing move Anaheim desperately needs?
The Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles got things started off quickly this offseason.
The Angels traded outfielder Taylor Ward to the orioles in exchange for pitcher Grayson Rodriguez in a straight one-for-one swap.
Rodriguez was injured in 2025, so as he recovers, it is a bit of a risky move for the Angels. On the other hand, Ward is on the final year of his contract, so a flier for Rodriguez could very well be a big win for the Angels.
Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield of ESPN gave grades for some of the early moves. The Rodriguez-Ward deal was one of them, and while the Orioles received a D, the Angels received an A-.
Here's what Doolittle wrote about the Angels side of the move.
"This is about upside for an Angels staff desperate for a true No. 1 starter. To expect Rodriguez to fill that need in 2026 is a lot, and perhaps, given his durability issues, he will never get there. His big league results (97 ERA+, 3.80 FIP over 43 starts in 2023 and 2024) are solid but nothing special. The allure of Rodriguez remains the combination of high ceiling and controllable seasons," Doolittle wrote. "And the ceiling is very high."
"ESPN's Kiley McDaniel ranked Rodriguez as the game's top pitching prospect in 2022 and rated him nearly as high in 2023. The mere possibility of Gray-Rod (did it again) fulfilling that potential in an Angels uniform is an exciting notion for fans in Anaheim," he continued about the move.
Ward's name is one that had been thrown around in a ton of trade rumors, and it was only a matter of time before the Angels moved on from him.
Dill they sell as high as they could've at the deadline? Probably not. Will Rodriguez ever get back to the pitcher that he was?
That's a big question, but Doolittle isn't worried about that aspect of the deal.
"Whether or not there is much of a possibility of Rodriguez getting there is almost beside the point. I'd feel better about this if he were headed to an organization with a better track record of turning around underachieving/injury-prone hurlers, but maybe the Angels can make some strides in this area," Doolittle added. "The possibility of that kind of upgrade and maybe someday a fully realized Gray-Rod, all for the low-low price of one season of Taylor Ward? Sign me up."
Of course, this is all speculation, and only time will tell who won the trade, but the Angels seem like the early winners in this one-for-one deal.