Grading The Trade As Orioles Ship Out Former Top Prospect Grayson Rodriguez

In a stunning late-night trade, the Baltimore Orioles decided to give up on their former top pitching prospect, Grayson Rodriguez, sending him in a trade to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for outfielder Taylor Ward.

The Orioles have acquired OF Taylor Ward from the Angels for RHP Grayson Rodriguez. pic.twitter.com/hFsRlhI2W5
— MLB (@MLB) November 19, 2025

It’s a surprising deal for an Orioles team in need of pitching help.

Rodriguez was expected to step up in 2025 and continue his ascension to ace status after the Orioles lost Corbin Burnes in free agency last offseason. But Gray-Rod went down for the entire season to an elbow injury, and the O’s pitching staff was in shambles all year.

Now, after shipping Rodriguez out in this deal, they must really do some major surgery on their starting rotation this winter. Whether by free agent signing or trades, Baltimore needs to find some arms. We can't give the O's a very good grade for trading away their top young hurler in exchange for an expiring contract. Call it a C.

Angels pull off trade coup with Orioles

The Angels pulled off a coup with this deal, selling high on Ward at the age of 31 and getting a promising piece for him as he goes into his final year of team control. Ward had a career year, blasting 36 homers to go with 103 RBIs and 86 runs. His .792 OPS was the second-best of his career. He had never hit more than 25 HR before, and had driven in more than 65 runs only once prior to 2025. He is a free agent after the 2026 season, and is highly unlikely to repeat his 2025 success.

In return, the Halos get a young, controllable starter in Rodriguez, who was just starting to show signs of realizing his potential in 2024, going 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA and a 130:36 K/BB ratio. Rodriguez was the O’s No. 2 prospect for four straight years from 2020 through 2023.

The only risk here is that the young pitcher has had trouble staying healthy to this point in his career. If he can get past that, the Angels scored themselves a steal. Give them an A.