The Baltimore Orioles could trade Taylor Ward ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
The Baltimore Orioles' win streak came to an end Monday against the red-hot Boston Red Sox, who extended their own win streak to 14 in a row with the victory in the series opener.
Regardless of the loss, the Orioles appear to have turned a corner just in time as the trade deadline approaches.
Still, they sit at 49-52 and the organization could elect to sell off pieces while still attempting to compete, a dual approach that has become increasingly common around the league as teams try to balance short-term and long-term interests simultaneously.
With that in mind, MLB.com revealed each team's biggest trade chip heading into the deadline, and the outlet named Taylor Ward as Baltimore's most likely position player to be moved if they do sell. Trevor Rogers was named as the club's most likely pitcher to be traded.
While MLB.com first floated the idea of the Orioles trading top-100 prospects to acquire assets that could help build a contending roster around their core, there is a chance the front office goes a different direction if results slide in the coming weeks and they fall further out of the American League wild card race.
Trading Ward would be a difficult pill to swallow given that Baltimore just sent former top prospect Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels just this past offseason to acquire him.
But if the organization is not confident in retaining the 32-year-old veteran this winter on a new deal, moving him now for a controllable prospect would at least return value on the investment.
Ward's offensive profile has changed considerably in Baltimore. He is no longer the power threat he was during his best years in Los Angeles, operating now as more of an on-base machine at the top of the lineup.
Across 371 at-bats, he has posted a .251 batting average, .386 on-base percentage, .747 OPS, seven home runs and 27 RBIs. He has missed just one game all season, which speaks to his durability and reliability as an everyday player.
That reliability would appeal to contending teams looking for a veteran leadoff option who consistently gets on base, plays solid defense and does not miss time.
For Baltimore, the path to trading him is straightforward. If the playoff push stalls in the next two weeks, Ward becomes the most logical piece to move, and given his track record, a solid prospect return is a realistic expectation.
