The Seattle Mariners have reportedly traded for Baltimore Orioles outfielder Taylor Ward, per ESPN. This comes on the heels of starting right fielder Luke Raley landing on the IL with a left forearm strain.
The Angels get back three minor leaguers for Ward, per MLB Pipeline: Brock Moore, Alex Hoppe and Harrison Kreiling.
Ward is leading the American League in walks with 87, and while he hasn’t had his usual power with just seven homers – Ward batted a career-high 36 in 2025, after 23, 17 in just 97 games and 25 in the three prior seasons – his .383 on-base percentage has still helped him be an above-average hitter in the Orioles’ outfield.
Taylor Ward’s power wasn’t what the Orioles expected, but he kept drawing free passes and remained productive that way. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Adding Ward keeps the Mariners from having to play Victor Robles in right field in Raley’s absence – Robles is batting just .241/.288/.267 in 51 games and 126 plate appearances, and has been a below-replacement-level player for Seattle in 2026.
Baltimore acquired Ward this past offseason for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, for his final season before free agency. The 32-year-old left fielder is a rental for the Mariners and a necessary upgrade: Seattle is 55-58 but just two games out of a wild-card spot and three behind the AL West-leading Astros, and Raley’s absence opened up a significant hole in the lineup and outfield.
The Orioles are just 2.5 games out of a wild-card spot themselves, but have moved Ward for prospects signaling a potential desire to step back from that race – though, over the weekend general manager Mike Elias indicated the O’s would buy and sell, per MLB.Â
Moore is a 26-year-old reliever missing bats in Double-A. Alex Hoppe, 27, has thrown 28 innings in the majors in 2026, splitting time between the bigs and Triple-A. Kreiling is a 24-year-old right-hander, but he wasn’t drafted until 2024 when he was already 22: he has thrown just 10 â…” innings as a professional, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025 and missed the entire season.
