After a volatile debut defined by injury setbacks and a dominant August surge, the high-stakes gamble on Grayson Rodriguez leaves Anaheim weighing flashes of brilliance against inconsistency.
The season is over for Los Angeles Angels right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who made his final start of the year last night against the Seattle Mariners. Rodriguez allowed four runs in five innings, but still earned the win and officially eliminated the American League West rival from postseason contention.
Now that the season is complete for Rodriguez, it’s time to look back on the righty’s first season in Anaheim. Arriving from the Baltimore Orioles in the Taylor Ward swap last November, there were lots of question marks surrounding the 26-year-old, as he hadn’t pitched since the 2024 season.
The deal was a high-risk, high-reward move for a Halos team willing to take the risk over what would be one final season with Ward before he hit free agency. Early on, it looked like a rough trade from the Angels’ perspective.
Rodriguez allowed seven runs in his first eight innings in Spring Training, struggling greatly with his command. Things got even worse after news broke that he’d be starting the season on the injured list due to a dead arm. For a pitcher with an already rich injury history, this was the worst imaginable start to his tenure as an Angel.
He eventually recovered and was able to make his Angels debut in May, but he allowed seven runs before he could get through four innings. Things didn't get much better for the righty over the next couple of months, holding a 7.98 ERA by the end of July.
Then, August came, and for much of the Angels’ pitching staff, August was a real turning point after the firing of pitching coach Mike Maddux and a couple of his assistants. Rodriguez was one of the many who saw dramatic improvements in August, keeping his ERA under 3.00 through five starts in the month.
The final month of the season saw Rodriguez climb back up closer to his early-season numbers, but that five-start stretch was a display of who the Angels thought they were trading for back in November. The season numbers don’t look pretty by any means with a 6.02 ERA and 1.56 WHIP, but there's still top-prospect potential somewhere in Rodriguez. The Angels are willing to ride out the bad starts in the hope that the best version of him will find its way out and stay for good.
Looking at the other side of the trade, Ward had a season of ups and downs of his own. He posted a 111 OPS+ with Baltimore before being dealt to Seattle at the trade deadline. His bat has dropped off a cliff after the trade, however, posting a woeful .368 OPS in 31 games.
Baltimore may look like the winners of the original trade thanks to getting three players in return for Ward just a few months later, but that title could easily switch to the Angels a couple of years down the line. Rodriguez showed flashes of who he can be on the mound, but injury concerns and command issues continue to plague him.
The Halos still have three years of team control on Rodriguez, so getting him back to his pre-injury levels isn’t something that has to be rushed. Especially with their lack of postseason hopes, they may as well ride it out with the righty while they can afford to. It’ll be an interesting story to watch how the Angels, and presumably a new manager, address Rodriguez to start the 2027 campaign.
