News Trades

Angels Trade Taylor Ward to the O’s for Grayson Rodriguez

November 18, 2025

As I was getting ready to write links, I check the news and TAYLOR WARD WAS TRADED. No one posted anything and it has been over an hour so here.

G-Rod is a young, pre arb SP that did not pitch in 2025 due to injury. He just turned 26 years old and was the 11th overall pick in 2018. In his 43 starts over 2023 and 2024 he has posted a 4.11 ERA and a 97 ERA+ with a FIP of 3.80 and a 259K to 78 walk ratio.

Taylor Ward was said to be a trade candidate, and now is GONE. This likely means that Trout will be the LF (Hopium) and Adell in RF where he is better at defensively than in CF.

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Trusted Member

bobblanton

4 hours ago

Thank you Taylor for signing a ball for my grandson. You are going to be missed and are a true hero to someone special

Trusted Member

bobblanton

4 hours ago

Reply to bobblanton

True memories

Legend

WallyChuckChili

3 hours ago

Reply to bobblanton

Matt Thaiss

Editor

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Jeff Joiner

4 hours ago

Ward is a great guy but also a year from free agency.

I fear Grayson’s injuries have caught up to him if Baltimore is willing to let him go.

But the Angels need to take some gambles and this is a decent one.

Legend

Senator_John_Blutarsky

3 hours ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

This. Baltimore needs healthy SP and they traded Groot. The Angels needed healthy SP and traded for Groot.

Either Perry or Elias is correct. Only time will tell.

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DowningDude

5 hours ago

Is this the Taylor Ward tribute thread?

Random memory of Taylor Ward I’ll not soon forget.

He hit a walkoff homerun on the last game of the season, the last game of Mike Scioscia’s Angels managerial tenure.

Great game, tons of emotions immediately after the game as we sat in our seats awaiting the presser.

Best wishes, Taylor! Thanks for the memories.

Legend

Senator_John_Blutarsky

3 hours ago

Reply to DowningDude

My favorite Ward memory is the draft room reaction when he was available for the Angels to select. That was the highlight of his career….

Last edited 3 hours ago by Senator_John_Blutarsky

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

12 hours ago

THIS is why I got my IIWPM in early this year. Last year I swear I wrote five of them but Perry kept making moves quickly and I finally just gave up.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

12 hours ago

AH NAH NO RODRIGO! I HAY GOOGLES! I NO LICK DIS TRAY! WHO PLAY GRASS AN BOOM BAT! I HAY CHEE ART TEHHH! BUT MEH NAMEZ AH KNOH!

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Cowboy26

8 hours ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

Is this Chico Escuela?

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red floyd

3 hours ago

Reply to Cowboy26

Beisbol been berry berry good to him.

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

7 hours ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

13 hours ago

Ward was never going to fetch in a trade what fans thought he would. As for the argument that the trade sim reflects this deal as being lopsided in favor of the Angels, sure – let’s go with that.

Maddux can’t fix genetics. “Rodriguez was electric at times since his 2023 debut, but injuries have marred his career. The 26-year-old was sidelined with shoulder inflammation and a lat strain this past year. A shoulder injury cost him half of the 2024 campaign. Injuries in 2022 limited him to 75 2/3 minor league innings and potentially delayed his big-league debut.”

Perry kept Ward at the trade deadline last season, so this deal likely reflects just how weak the offers were at that time. This deal gets the Blutarsky “two chugs of Jack” grade.

Super Member

AnAngelsFan

13 hours ago

There’s obviously injury concern with Rodriguez, but I’m still surprised a team in last place would want to trade 4 years of a promising pitcher for 1 year of a reliable bat.

Could Perry Minasian win IIWPM this year?

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

13 hours ago

Wow. Unless Rodriguez is more hurt than they say he is THIS IS A RIP OFF. If I got high and mused about a pitcher to get Maddox to go to work on I would have said something stupid like “maybe we can get Grayson Rodriguez for some guy we have.”

The SIM rejects this trade by over 20 points going our way….

Super Member

2GA2Join

13 hours ago

Wow. Stunned to see this as I was about to put my phone down for the night.

I think Trout should full time DH. I know we have Soler. But we need to get maximum offense out of Trout’s remaining years and playing the outfield risks that or at least shortens it.

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steelgolf

7 hours ago

Reply to 2GA2Join

Soler is not a very good DH. Of course he is terrible in the field too.

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

7 hours ago

Reply to steelgolf

So you’re saying he’s the best starting outfielder we have?

Trusted Member

Biggiswrth

6 hours ago

Reply to Senator_John_Blutarsky

Besides Rendon its one of the worst fits on the roster right now. Hopfully with only a year left on his contract he can be flipped to a team who needs a big bat and a DH. The 1 year guys are at a premium right now with a lockout looming. Straight salary dump and pick up some more lottery tickets.
Then we sign Bader and let a rookie play in LF.

Last edited 6 hours ago by Biggiswrth

Member

KingsHalos10

6 hours ago

Reply to 2GA2Join

It’s been mentioned before, but Trout needs to move to 1b similar to Harper and move Schanuel to LF Its not ideal due to his foot speed, but if they made it work with Ward out there, he can do it as well.
Unless Soler is moved, unlikely, you need Trout in the least physical playing position to have the other DH.

Last edited 6 hours ago by KingsHalos10

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red floyd

3 hours ago

Reply to KingsHalos10

if they made it work with Ward out there, he can do it as well.

As I recall, Ward was originally signed as a catcher.

Trusted Member

Biggiswrth

14 hours ago

I’m seeing a lot on a premium for guys on 1 year terms now. This 2027 lockout talk I think is a real thing and teams are really going to try and trim all payroll after this season. We struck on this need early and got a good return for it. I think the trade deadline is going to be crazy for expiring contracts.

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Cowboy26

13 hours ago

Reply to Biggiswrth

Well if you lockout the players you dont have to pay them so I’m not sure that this is a big a deal as what your committed payroll is 2028 especially with the uncertainty regarding the ultimate salary cap/floor.

And right now the Angels entire committed payroll for the 2028 consists of one guy:

Michael Nelson Trout.

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FungoAle

14 hours ago

Angel need to blow up their offensive philosophy and improve upon their ability to get on base and make contact, Ward was one of the teams primary players that fed into that style of play. Surely won’t miss his glove, weak arm and slow speed. Sure, he came up with the org but time to free Taylor.

Actually shocked Minasian pulled off a Ward trade. Many (me) been clamoring to make the move at the past two deadlines. A year too late but given the player coming back, there is some potential to make this a very nice trade for the Halos, barring health recovery.

Most happy to see that AM/PM will not succumb to bringing everyone back in a pseudo-attempt to trick the audience into thinking we are contenders.

Trusted Member

Biggiswrth

14 hours ago

This makes so much sense and now gives us some payroll flexibility to fill the gaps. I think Bader is a lock now and maybe we are switching to a defense and run prevention type of team.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

13 hours ago

Reply to Biggiswrth

Well, Bader is a lock if he wants to play out here….

Trusted Member

JakeTaylor

14 hours ago

Gonna miss Ward. About the only player that has produced for this team offensively since Ohtani left. It will be interesting to see how they plan on filling that hole in the lineup. However, Rodriguez is young, has a lot of upside and under team control for 4 years. Could potentially be an ace if he can stay healthy but that’s a HUGE if.

Editor

Super Member

Turk's Teeth

14 hours ago

There’s a lot of discussion in today’s News Crash already, but might as well summarize and restate my early thoughts here:

* Ward had very little excess value. The Baseball Trade Values sim says the Angels won this exchange in a walk.

* This gives the team roughly $13M to play with in free agency – the cost of a Bader or Polanco this year.

* Rodriguez was the #1 pitching prospect in baseball as recently as 2022, and put up 2 fWAR in each of ’23 and ’24. He has frontine upside.

* There’s serious injury risk here, but the Angels control him for four years, and could get solid value from him even if he’s on the shelf for a year or two. Not a free agent until 2030, and the Angels are unlikely to contend until ’28-30.

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Super Member

John Henry Weitzel

14 hours ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

Yep, I like this trade. Build the farm, get pre arb guys, sell for once.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

13 hours ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

Perry could actually come out of this looking really good if Grayson is healthy. He is a filthy arm. You know how many of us have moaned about how you just don’t see many aces hit FA before they are sliding down hill? The friggin Platypus just made a dice roll to address that issue…. for what was likely 4 months of Ward.