Just hours before the conclusion of the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline season (3 p.m. PT), the Seattle Mariners struck for a much-needed move, acquiring outfielder Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Alex Hoppe and Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling.

Here's what you need to know:

A nine-year veteran of the Los Angeles Angels and Orioles, Ward is a career .247 hitter with 120 home runs and 375 RBIs.

This season, he's hit .246 for Baltimore with just seven home runs, though he's upped his on-base percentage in a major way. He's got a career OBP of .336, but this year he's at .383. He leads the American League in walks with 87.

He will be a huge addition to a roster that is at or near the bottom of most major categories against left-handed pitching. He's hitting .269 against lefties with a .413 on-base percentage.

Well, the Mariners are 55-58, so because of the disappointing nature of their season, any meaningful addition is noteworthy, but Ward's skillset fits the Mariners needs to a "T," so this implies the M's are really making a push at the playoffs.

They enter play on Monday just three games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West and two games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the chase for the third and final wild card spot.

ESPN's Buster Olney told us he thought Ward would be a good fit for the Mariners back on July 2:

I actually think when you look at potentially what's out there in the marketplace, there's a possible interesting fit there with the Orioles for the Mariners, and that's Taylor Ward, a right-handed hitting outfielder who gets on base. He could absolutely slot in as their leadoff hitter.

I don't think the Orioles are close to being sellers yet, but they are trending in the wrong direction. Ward is a free agent at year's end. He would be a perfect fit, in my opinion, for what would help the Mariners."

Right now, there are a number of questions about how Ward will fit.

1) Will he play every day, or just against lefties?

2) What does this mean for Brendan Donovan in his return to the roster? We had him penciled in as more of an outfielder, but if Ward is out there every day, what happens? Perhaps JP Crawford's injury moves him to third base again more regularly and allows Colt Emerson to stick at shortstop.

3) What does this mean for Victor Robles? And how about Rob Refsnyder? And Stuart Fairchild?

4) With Hoppe gone, the Mariners need to make another promotion to their bullpen.

5) Does this addition stunt the chance for Michael Arroyo to get promoted to the big league roster?

We will have more coverage as this story develops.