For two years, the Baltimore Orioles were the up-and-coming team in the American League East, but things came off the rails in 2025. They were 18 games under .500 by late May, manager Brandon Hyde got fired and they finished dead last in the division, going 75-87.
They got very little production from their outfield in 2025, and that had to change during this offseason. They made the first step in getting better out there, acquiring slugger Taylor Ward from the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday. But it came at a price. Promising starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez went to the Angels in the deal.
Ward was a first-round pick of the Angles in the 2015 MLB Draft, and he'll be 32 in December. He hit 36 home runs with 103 RBIs in 2025, after hitting a then career-high 25 homers in 2024.
Here's why the Angels made the deal, according to Angels Roundtable writer Zach Carver.
The Angels are in desperate need of starting pitching after going 72-90 and finishing last in the AL West. They had a 4.79 team earned run average, dead last in the American League. Rodriguez, if he's healthy, could be a big help.
Rodriguez is 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, and he pitched well for the Orioles in 2023 and 2024. He has a career 20-8 record in 43 starts, with a 4.11 ERA and 259 strikeouts in 238 innings. He made one postseason start in 2023 and gave up five runs in less than two innings during the Texas Rangers' sweep of the Orioles in the AL division series.
He missed all of the 2025 season, first with a lat injury and then elbow problems. According to reports, he should be 100 percent by spring training, The Angels are taking a risk here, but if Rodriguez can stay healthy, he'll be a top of the rotation starter for Los Angeles.