The Baltimore Orioles have made one of the biggest moves of the MLB offseason so far, with their late-night trade with the Los Angeles Angels.
Baltimore sent former top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward.
For ESPN writers Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield, the Orioles' trading for Ward wasn't a move that was viewed favorably. ESPN's writers handed out a D grade to the Orioles for this surprising trade with the Angels.
Orioles trade for Taylor Ward receives D grade from ESPN
"... I'm not sure I get this one so much from the Orioles side." Dolittle and Bradford write, "The caveat is that maybe Baltimore's brass, which obviously knows a lot more about Rodriguez than I do, has good reason to think that Gray-Rod is not likely to live up to his considerable pre-MLB hype."
Rodriguez had a lot of supporters believing in his potential, and while he's had his moments in the big leagues, his injury, which kept him out the entire 2025 season, has been cause for concern.
That injury could be why the Orioles made this trade, as they're more concerned about Rodriguez going forward. Otherwise, this trade, in the opinion of Doolittle and Schoenfield, looks to be a rough one for Baltimore.
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Ward is a quality player, coming off a 36-home run season. With a paltry right-handed-hitting outfielder market, Ward was likely the best available this offseason. And yet, there's cause for concern with this trade based on what the Orioles gave up to get him.
"And all of this would be fine for one year of a productive hitter likely to earn $12-$14 million through the arbitration process." Doolittle and Schoenfield write. "But at the cost of four years of a pitcher with Rodriguez's ceiling? I'm not seeing it."
Ward is a quality addition to the Orioles lineup, but the cost to get him, a 26-year-old pitcher who has four years of control left and could be a high-profile starter, is too rich in the opinion of these ESPN writers.
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