“I live in a small town, and to avoid dealing with ex girlfriend’s moms, they go ‘oh do you still play for the Angels,’” Taylor Ward said with a laugh. “And I say ‘yeah, sure, yeah.’ So now, it’s one of those ‘oh hey, you just got traded to Baltimore!’” 

He had, of course, not been traded to the Orioles. That would be quite a career shift for Ward, who has been covering the Angels for Baseball America since 2013. 

Instead, it was a player that he had covered for a long time in Anaheim, Joseph Taylor Ward, who goes by Taylor, that had been sent to Baltimore in exchange for Grayson Rodriguez. 

“We actually played baseball against each other a long time ago, high school days,” Baseball America’s Ward said of the new O’s outfielder. “His introduction after getting drafted, the PR Director was introducing him in the Angels’ media room and said ‘we’re going to start our questions with Taylor Ward.’ And I said ‘hey Taylor,’ and he looked at me and it was one of those connections of like ‘we’ve met before but where have we met.’ And I said ‘I’m Taylor Ward,’ and he said ‘I’m Taylor Ward,’ and it was an old connection that kind of came to fruition.” 

The duo, a reporter and a player sharing the same name, were the center of plenty of jokes in the clubhouse and on social media. So, on the day when the outfielder was traded, you can imagine what the day was like for the reporter. 

Taylor Ward is about three weeks away from celebrating his 32^nd birthday and four months from the start of his ninth major league season. He’s changing his address from Anaheim to Baltimore but keeping the responsibilities that come with age and experience.

None of the Orioles’ hitters bring as much of it except for outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who’s only 30 but also made his debut in 2018. Ward was chosen 10 picks ahead of Ryan Mountcastle in the first round of the 2015 draft, but the homegrown first baseman is entering his seventh season and is 28.

Reliever Keegan Akin, awaiting his 31^st birthday on April 1 and with six major league seasons, inherited a leadership role in the bullpen after the deadline trades.

Ward will tackle the job with the same enthusiasm that he brings as a middle-of-the-order bat and left fielder.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said yesterday during his video call with the media. “Even with the Angels having a young core that they have right now, too. Yeah, anything that they need, any questions that they have, I’m absolutely available to tell them how I do things and just try to educate them the best I can to just speed up their development.

Taylor Ward’s phone rang around 8 p.m. Tuesday, he checked the name of the caller and saw that Angels general manager Perry Minasian was trying to contact him.

Ward had always prepared himself for the possibility of a trade, and now, Minasian randomly was on the other end of the line.

“Obviously,” he said today in a video call, “there’s been rumors for years now.”

The chatter apparently didn’t cause him to make any assumptions that night, to come away as anything except surprised when told that the Orioles acquired him for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.

“Our conversation was pretty brief, but just told me that I was traded to Baltimore and he appreciated everything that I had done with the Angels and wished me luck. But had no idea,” Ward said.

The 17-minute video call with president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias confirmed that he isn’t necessarily done with the outfield. He’s got the numbers but also a willingness to work them.

Seven outfielders are stashed on the 40-man roster, including Reed Trimble, who was added to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. He’s expected to head back to Triple-A Norfolk and wait for a phone call.

Heston Kjerstad could join him after a lengthy shutdown caused by an undisclosed illness. He hit .192/.240/.327 in 54 games with the Orioles and .149/.225/.248 in 27 games with the Tides. The Orioles would settle for getting him back on the field and continuing their work with him at the plate and in right and left.

An Opening Day roster with Taylor Ward, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras would suffice. Cowser could start in center, with the capability of moving to a corner late in games. Taveras could replace him. Ward could be the regular in left, with O’Neill and Beavers making most of their starts in right.

Taveras signed for $2 million but he’s out of minor league options, which could complicate matters. He’d have to pass through waivers – the contract could make it easier - and approve an outright assignment.

Because it’s never too early to wonder about lineup construction, even before Thanksgiving, there’s an instant curiosity over the most ideal spot to bat Taylor Ward.

Ward has hit everywhere during his eight-year career, and before the Orioles acquired him from the Angels this week for starter Grayson Rodriguez in a shocking one-for-one deal.

The breakdown goes as follows:

First: 169 starts
Second: 19
Third: 139
Fourth: 179
Fifth: 37
Sixth: 36
Seventh: 49
Eighth: 32
Ninth: five

Ward hit a career-high 36 home runs this year and 18 of them came from the cleanup spot, where he made 99 starts. He batted third in 30 games and hit nine homers and swatted six among his 22 starts at leadoff. Ward batted fifth in three games (two homers) and second twice (one homer).

The decision to non-tender pitcher Albert Suárez didn’t necessarily close the door on his return next year.

The decision to tender first baseman Ryan Mountcastle showed that the Orioles are open to making room for him on the roster.

President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias explained today’s moves in a video call, as well as the motivation behind trading for Angels outfielder Taylor Ward earlier this week.

“The arbitration system, the tender system, there are price points that are set by the system itself that you have to adapt your decision-making to,” Elias said when asked about Suárez, who pitched in only five games this year due to shoulder and forearm injuries.

“We love Albert. He’s been a tremendous success story for us since our pro scouts and Mike Snyder’s group found him coming out of Asia. What our pitching department did to develop him, and then what he did particularly in 2024. And it was a real bummer and it was a big part of a lot of the struggles we had last (season) that he got hurt.

The Orioles tendered first baseman Ryan Mountcastle a contract for the 2026 season earlier today but chose to let pitcher Albert Suárez enter free agency.

Suárez was the only non-tender at today’s arbitration deadline.

Closer Félix Bautista, who underwent shoulder surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, agreed to terms on a contract for 2026 that prevents a possible hearing. A source confirmed an MLB.com report that the deal is worth $2.25 million.

Bautista will miss the majority of the upcoming season, but the club is hopeful that he can contribute down the stretch.

Keegan Akin, Kyle Bradish, Yennier Cano, Gunnar Henderson, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward and Tyler Wells were tendered contracts, along with all pre-arbitration players on the 40-man roster.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Tendered 2026 contracts to LHP Keegan Akin, RHP Kyle Bradish, RHP Yennier Cano, INF Gunnar Henderson, RHP Dean Kremer, INF Ryan Mountcastle, LHP Trevor Rogers, C Adley Rutschman, OF Taylor Ward, and RHP Tyler Wells, as well as all pre-arbitration 40-man players.
• Agreed to terms with RHP Félix Bautista on a one-year contract for the 2026 season, avoiding arbitration.
• Declined to tender a contract to RHP Albert Suárez, allowing him to become a free agent.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 38 players.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

OF Pedro León claimed off outright waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Orioles had a contract decision to make on catcher Alex Jackson. They did it this morning.

It’s passed along to the Minnesota Twins.

Jackson was traded today for minor league infielder Payton Eeles, reducing the number of players on the 40-man roster to 39.

Eeles, who turned 26 earlier this month, signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent after playing at Coastal Carolina – where he was teammates with Orioles 2025 first-round draft pick Caden Bodine – and in the independent American Association in 2023.

Over 210 minor league games, Eeles has batted .285/.410/.417 with 28 doubles, 10 triples, 16 home runs and 94 RBIs and has stolen 68 bases in 86 attempts. He’s also walked 120 times and struck out 141.

The Orioles have acquired minor league INF Payton Eeles from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for C Alex Jackson.

The Orioles' 40-man roster currently has 39 players.

The Orioles are getting closer to completing their coaching staff for the 2026 season.

According to a source, Hank Conger has been hired as bullpen coach under new manager Craig Albernaz.

Conger most recently was Minnesota’s assistant bench coach before finding out earlier this month that he wouldn’t be retained under new manager Derek Shelton. He joined the Twins in 2022 as first base and catching coach.

More youth is added to the staff with the 37-year-old Conger, a former first round draft pick of the Angels who played in the majors for seven seasons. He also gives the Orioles’ another hire with a catching background.

Conger spent five seasons with the Angels and played for the Astros in 2015 and Rays in 2016. Albernaz managed Tampa Bay’s instructional league team that year. Mike Elias was Houston’s director of amateur scouting in ’15.

In case anyone thought the offseason would be a bore, the Orioles stunned the industry with Tuesday night’s Grayson Rodriguez trade – a late one on the East Coast. They broke their own news, which is a rarity in this industry. It froze us like a 12-6 curveball.

And they’re just getting started.

Let’s sift through some leftover thoughts on the one-for-one deal that brings slugging outfielder Taylor Ward to Baltimore.

* Some of the reviews from national media aren’t favorable for the Orioles based on Rodriguez’s potential and controllability. He can’t become a free agent until after the 2029 season. He hasn’t even reached arbitration eligibility. Ward, meanwhile, can test the market after 2026.

The Orioles are living in the moment.

The Orioles today announced the return of the weekly “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on WBAL NewsRadio, the flagship station of the Orioles Radio Network. Beginning Thursday, December 4, fans can tune into AM 1090, FM 101.5, and WBAL.com each Thursday from 7-8 p.m. ET as Orioles broadcasters BRETT HOLLANDER and BEN WAGNER, and MASN insider ROCH KUBATKO provide Orioles news, analysis, exclusive interviews, and more.

The show will air each Thursday beginning December 4, until the team reports to Spring Training in mid-February, with some exceptions. For more information, including updates on live show dates and locations, visit Orioles.com/HotStove.

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired outfielder TAYLOR WARD from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for right-handed pitcher GRAYSON RODRIGUEZ.

Ward, 31, slashed .228/.317/.475 (132-for-579) with 31 doubles, two triples, 36 home runs, 86 runs scored, 103 RBI, and 75 walks in 157 games last season, setting career highs in games played, runs, doubles, homers, RBI, walks, slugging percentage, extra-base hits (69), and total bases (275). He finished tied for fifth in the AL in home runs, ranked sixth in RBI, and seventh in walks and extra-base hits. Ward became the third Angel since 2018 to drive in 100 runs, along with Mike Trout (104 RBI, 2019) and Shohei Ohtani (100 RBI, 2021). Of his 36 home runs, 35 came as the left fielder, setting the team’s franchise record (since 1961) for that position.

Ward has spent his entire major league career with the Angels after being selected in the first round (26^th overall) of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Fresno State University (CA). He became the 21^st Angel to hit 100 home runs with the team on July 19, 2025 at Philadelphia, doing so in his 643^rd game with the Halos. His six career grand slams, all hit since 2021, are tied for second most in the AL during that time.

Rodriguez, 26, was selected by the Orioles in the first round (11^th overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Central Heights (TX) High School. He missed the 2025 season with right elbow inflammation and a right lat strain. In two major league seasons with Baltimore from 2023-24, Rodriguez went 20-8 with a 4.11 ERA (109 ER/238.2 IP) and 259 strikeouts in 43 games started.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

The Orioles weren’t done making 40-man roster moves early this evening.

In a surprising piece of news, the Orioles have traded pitcher Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward. They get the power bat that fits in the most logical space for it. They surrender the future ace who never got to that level.

The teams made the announcement late tonight.

Ward turns 32 next month and is a rental with free agency coming after the 2026 season. The Angels made him the 26^th overall selection in the 2015 draft out of Fresno State and he’s hit .247/.327/.439 in 704 games in eight seasons. He’s appeared in 156 and 157 games over the last two with 663 plate appearances in both seasons.

The Dayton, Ohio native is coming off a career year with 31 doubles, 36 home runs, 103 RBIs, 75 walks and 86 runs scored. He also posted a .228 average that’s his lowest over a full season.

The Orioles are protecting right-hander Cameron Foster and outfielder Reed Trimble in the Rule 5 Draft.

Foster and Trimble had their contracts selected and were placed on the 40-man roster earlier today. Outfielder Pedro León and infielder Luis Vázquez were designated for assignment to create room.

Foster, 26, and right-hander Wellington Aracena were acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline for left-handed reliever Gregory Soto. Foster made 13 relief appearances with Triple-A Norfolk and posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.375 WHIP in 16 innings, with eight walks and 23 strikeouts. He has a 3.75 ERA in 79 minor league games and 215 strikeouts over 199 1/3 innings.

Trimble, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft out of the University of Southern Mississippi. He’s a career .251/.344/.420 hitter in five minor league seasons and has stolen 61 bases without being caught.

Trimble batted .259/.319/.435 this year in 30 games with Norfolk and .257/.352/.503 in 53 games with Double­-A Chesapeake. He plays all three outfield positions.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contracts of RHP Cameron Foster and OF Reed Trimble from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Designated OF Pedro León and INF Luis Vázquez for assignment.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Agreed to terms on a 2026 minor league contract with RHP Jeisson Cabrera.

The Orioles must set their 40-man roster later today by protecting the Rule 5 eligible players they don’t want exposed in the draft.

Cross off another date on baseball’s fall and winter calendar. Up next is Friday night’s non-tender deadline.

The mailbag doesn’t need to be protected, though many outlets would love to claim it.

You ask, I try to answer, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved early 2009 original. That's when it debuted, upon further review. A four-star review. 

Also, my mailbag will never be exposed and your mailbag is left outside in the rain and cold.