The Orioles must make amends: it takes pitchers to town

What don't we know?

Why did the Baltimore Orioles, in need of pitchers, trade Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels in exchange for Taylor Ward? Is the pitcher more injured than we thought and won't be able to pitch in 2026 either?

Because from the looks of it, the Orioles need pitchers even more than before. They've traded a guy with the potential to lead a rotation (who's four years away from free agency) for a corner outfielder who's one year away from free agency.

Ward, who should earn around $13.7M this season, adds money to the payroll of a budget club AND pushes high-earning Tyler O'Neil further down the pecking order.

There's a world out there in which the Orioles have made a good deal, but for now, we're giving the edge to the Angels.

The Orioles were already short of pitchers, but the current deal means that, more than ever, they absolutely must sign one of the big names on the market. No choice.

“You look at Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, maybe Michael King, they're going to get one of those guys. They need to.”@Feinsand talks about the Orioles as a fit for a top free agent starting pitcher. pic.twitter.com/sxK1ikbMO2

– MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 19, 2025

In fact, the club needs to add at least two good pitchers to form an excellent top-3 with Trevor Rogers. Because if they don't, we can already put them out of the playoffs for 2026.

No, I'm not encouraged by this transaction for the Orioles.

So much the better if Ward ends up energizing the club's offense. But on the mound, it's fair to wonder who will be able to eat innings to get the club back into the playoffs.

And more than ever, the question is… unclear. Mike Elias lost some feathers in 2025, and yesterday he did nothing to reassure fans.

This content was created with the help of AI.