What do you think of the Orioles’ Rodriguez-for-Ward trade? | MAILBAG

As you can imagine, since the Orioles traded Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward, many readers have questioned the deal.

I’ll try to answer some of the questions.

Question: The Orioles trade of Rodriguez for Ward is puzzling. Rodriguez is under team control until 2029. Ward will be a free agent at the end of 2026. Why didn’t the Orioles wait to see how Rodriguez was coming back from his injury before trading him? I thought pitching was their priority? From: Ricky Shaw

Answer: Ricky, with Rodriguez’s injury history, perhaps his value wasn’t as high as you might think. I think pitching is their priority, and now they’ll attempt to acquire perhaps two starters who could be in their rotation.

I think they also wanted to get a right-handed power hitting outfielder and with the deadline for teams offering contracts to arbitration-eligible players coming on Friday night, there was an incentive for the Angels and Orioles to get this deal completed quickly. 

Question: Please explain this trade to me. Why would we trade Grayson Rodriguez for an outfielder who’s just like Tyler O’Neill on a one-year contract.

I don’t care if Grayson is hurt all year. You don’t trade away a possible ace for this. We should’ve gotten much more for him, and I have always backed our general manager and now team president, but this is questioning my decision-making on his behalf.

In my opinion, this could go down as one of the worst Oriole trades that we have ever made. I don’t want a repeat of the Glenn Davis trade. I am too old for this. From: Bob VanVoreen

Answer: Oh, Bob, you’re not too old for this, and it’s not going to be a repeat of the Glenn Davis trade where the Orioles traded away Curt Schilling, Pete Harnisch and Steve Finley in 1991.

I think the Orioles wanted a right-handed hitting outfielder who played 103 more games than Tyler O’Neill did last year and think that Rodriguez can’t be considered an ace until he pitches an entire season without injuries and consistently dominates opponents.

Maybe the Orioles should have gotten more back, but if Ward has similar power numbers to last year’s, the trade could be a good one.

Question: What in the world? Grayson for a .228 hitter and 175 strikeouts. Here we go again — very disappointing. Does this make any sense to you? From: Rick Little

Answer: Rick, Ken Rater has similar thoughts. I’m not as down on the trade as a lot of fans are. Rodriguez hasn’t pitched since July 2024, and if you were envisioning a rotation with Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells as three-fifths of it, that’s one with three starters who’ve started 10 games since August 2024.

Batting average and strikeouts aren’t as important statistics as they once were. Kyle Schwarber hit .240, struck out 197 times and slugged 56 home runs and is in line for a big payday.

The Orioles needed a right-handed power hitting outfielder, and they got one.

Question: Why would they subtract from their starting pitching to add an outfielder who strikes out way too much? They gave up four years of Rodriguez for one year of Ward. Every time they have a good starter they trade them for someone of lesser value. Do they plan on trying to extend him since it was a 1-for-1 trade? From: Elliott

Answer: Elliott, I’m not sure who all these good starters you’re referring to were, but I don’t think they’ll look to extend Ward. Mike Elias has handed out only one extension, and that was to 21-year-old Samuel Basallo.

I think he’s playing for 2026 and he’ll worry about 2027 in a year.

Question: This is a real head-scratcher to me. We’ve been hearing about Rodriguez ever since he was at Delmarva with a potential No. 1 or No. 2 starter role. When he’s been able to pitch, he’s certainly shown he can do it. I know he’s been hurt, but he has four years of control. And we trade for a guy who looks just like Tyler O’Neill  — an average outfielder who has power but can’t hit (and if he does, he’s gone after one year anyway). Does an outfield of Ward, Colton Cowser, and Dylan Beavers sound like a division contender to you? From: Bob West, Ellicott City

Answer: Bob, I think I’ll have to look at the entirety of the offseason before answering the question. If Ward has a similar season to last year, Cowser has a season closer to 2024 than last year and Beavers has a productive year, then it could be a good outfield.

I don’t know what additional moves are coming and if that’s the outfield the Orioles will go into next season with.

 Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.