The Baltimore Orioles made a strange trade earlier in the week when they sent Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels for Taylor Ward.
While Ward is a very good player in his own right and has a ton of power in his right-handed bat after blasting 36 home runs a year ago, giving up on a young arm in Rodriguez certainly poses some questions, considering the Orioles already needed some help on the mound.
However, according to the latest from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, there were a few factors in that, and it doesn't alter the Orioles’ plan of going out and adding some decent starting pitching.
According to Rosenthal, Rodriguez wasn’t viewed as much heading into the 2026 season, despite him coming back from injury.
“The trade of right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels for Ward does not alter the Orioles’ pitching equation — they were not counting on Rodriguez for much, at least in 2026. They still want to acquire a starter to complement Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish at the top of their rotation, a closer to replace Félix Bautista, who underwent shoulder surgery last August, and additional bullpen help,” he wrote.
Orioles need a ton during the winter
The Orioles can't just stop at adding pitching, either, but it's a bit uncertain why they'd move on from a player of Rodriguez’s caliber. Still, they need bats.
Throughout some of Rodriguez's career, there have been times when he looks very good, while other times haven’t exactly been as kind to him.
Nonetheless, if the Orioles do indeed plan on going out and adding starting pitching help, this shouldn't be too big of an issue.
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