MLB Rumors: Phillies Linked To Trade For Pair Of Angels Outfielders

November 18, 2025 ,
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward rounds the bases during 2025 game.

The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the rumor mill already, and once again it is about their outfield. 

Fresh Phillies trade buzz has them linked to Los Angeles Angels sluggers Taylor Ward and Jo Adell, two right handed bats who fit exactly what Philadelphia keeps saying it wants.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi says there is a better than fifty percent chance the Angels deal one of their veteran outfielders this winter. Both Ward and Adell are in arbitration, which means any team that wants them for 2026 needs to trade for that final year of control in Ward’s case or multiple years in Adell’s case. 

For a Phillies front office trying to avoid the top of the free agent market in the outfield, this is exactly the lane they tend to explore.

Phillies trade targets: Taylor Ward vs Jo Adell

On pure upside, Jo Adell is the fun name. 

He finally stayed healthy and put it all together in 2025 with 37 home runs, 98 RBI and a .778 OPS, showing off the loud power that made him a top prospect. The swing and miss is still real, with 151 strikeouts and only 33 walks, and his defense in center was rough by the metrics. 

On a contending team like the Philadelphia Phillies, Adell probably settles into a corner spot or rotates through designated hitter, especially if Schwarber is not back.

Taylor Ward brings a different profile. He turns 32 in December and feels more like a known quantity at this point. 

Since his breakout in 2022, Ward has been an above average bat with a .251/.332/.451 line and a 117 OPS+. In 2025 he launched 36 home runs with 103 RBI despite a low batting average and a spike in strikeouts. 

What keeps teams interested is that he still controls the strike zone well, rarely chases and grinds out plate appearances. He is not a premium defender in left or right, but he is steady enough to stay out there every day, and his right handed power would fit nicely behind Bryce Harper in the middle of the Phillies lineup.

Ward is in his final year of team control, while Adell is under control through 2027, which makes Ward the more likely name to move. If Los Angeles can flip one of them for help at other spots and then bring in a glove first center fielder like Trent Grisham or Cedric Mullins, the puzzle starts to make more sense.

What would a Phillies–Angels trade for Ward cost?

The big question in any Phillies trade rumor is always the price. 

After sending prospects Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel to the Minnesota Twins for Jhoan Duran, the system is thinner at the top, but there is still enough position player depth to make something work. Justin Crawford will push for a job in Philadelphia soon and overlaps a bit with top Angels prospect Nelson Rada, so he does not feel like a clean fit for Anaheim. 

Instead, the Angels may zero in on bats like Gabriel Rincones Jr. or Keaton Anthony, plus another piece, if they decide Ward is the one to move.

Ward projects as more of a short term solution than Adell. He gives the Phillies a reliable right handed bat for 2026 at a reasonable salary, but they would be right back in the market a year later when he hits free agency. 

Adell’s extra team control and higher ceiling mean a bigger prospect package, and the glove questions are real. That is why many evaluators see Ward as the cleaner fit, even if the upside is lower. 

A deal built around Rincones Jr. and Anthony for Ward feels like the kind of proposal that could at least get both front offices talking.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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