The Pete Alonso signing was the headlining move for the Baltimore Orioles this past offseason, but the Taylor Ward trade is paying off even more so far.

Ward is slashing .290/.395/.387 with five RBIs, while Alonso is slashing .226/.314/.323 with one homer and two RBIs. While it's impossible to draw long-term conclusions after eight games, Ward's hot start has been a silver lining for the Orioles, who are 3-5.

The 32-year-old was on a five-game hit streak before going 0-for-4 with a walk in Saturday's 3-2 road loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also hit a double in each of the three contests before Saturday.

Ward has led off in every game for Baltimore so far, and he has been as good as the team could ask for. The 6-foot, 205-pounder leads the squad with nine hits and six walks and is second with 12 total bases. 

If Ward regains his home run-hitting mojo while maintaining his batting average, he will be one of the AL's best players. The veteran tallied 36 homers over 157 games for the Los Angeles Angels last season, which tied for 10th in baseball. However, he hit just .228, his lowest average since 2019.

Ward hit .281 with 23 homers over 135 games for the Angels in 2022, so he's shown that he can hit for average while being a home run threat. The next step is to do that with the Orioles, who could use another star alongside Alonso and shortstop Gunnar Henderson.

Regardless, Ward is validating Baltimore's decision to acquire him from Los Angeles for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez in November. If he keeps performing, the front office might want to re-sign him before he hits free agency next offseason.

Starting pitcher Shane Baz was another offseason trade acquisition for Baltimore, and he earned his money on Saturday. The right-hander allowed one run (zero earned) on three hits with five strikeouts against three walks over 5.2 innings. He also threw 63 strikes out of 98 pitches.

Baz improved on his Orioles debut, when he allowed four earned runs on seven hits over 5.1 frames in an 8-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins on March 29. The 26-year-old now has nine punchouts against three walks on the season. 

Baltimore acquired Baz from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for four prospects and a 2026 Competitive Balance Round A draft pick in December. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder is currently the No. 3 pitcher in the rotation behind southpaw Trevor Rogers and right-hander Kyle Bradish.

If Baz maintains a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season, he'll be on track to be a long-term piece in the rotation.

Up next for the Orioles is another matchup with the Pirates on Sunday before another road series against the Chicago White Sox.