When Baltimore Orioles President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias made some bold offseason moves this past winter, it was seen as moves to compete in the loaded American League East Division.
However, nearly halfway through the 2026 season, not many people envisioned how things were going to play out. The Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in early June.
In a division that has been dominated by the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays were the defending division champs. Baltimore was looking to contend with the top teams with a flurry of moves. However, the Orioles are four games under .500 heading into a weekend series at home against the San Diego Padres.
Unless there is a big turnaround, Baltimore is a team that could be a seller between now and the trade deadline in early August. One player who could be moved is outfielder Taylor Ward. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicted that Elias would ship him to a division rival.
Baltimore Orioles Predicted To Trade Taylor Ward To Tampa Bay Rays
Baltimore acquired Ward from the Los Angeles Angels, who sent pitcher Grayson Rodriguez to L.A. over the winter. He is on a one-year contract that pays him $12.18 million. Rymer predicted that Ward would be sent to the first-place Rays.
“It’ll be a happy day if Chandler Simpson ever puts it all together. It’s been too long since MLB had a pesky Juan Pierre type, and that’s the mold Simpson fits on paper,” wrote Rymer.
“All this is the long way around to explaining how the Rays are getting a league-low 73 wRC+ from left field. Taylor Ward is at 127 in that department this year, and it’s almost entirely thanks to his knack for getting on base,” wrote Rymer. “This makes him an ideal Rays hitter. Getting ’em on, over, and in is their whole style of offense, so they might as well double down on it in pursuit of the AL East title.”
Baltimore Orioles Will Have Options With Taylor Ward
If Elias was going to make Ward available, then there would be several suitors. Rymer also mentioned the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, and Atlanta Braves as potential landing spots.
After signing Pete Alonso in free agency, along with pitcher Chris Bassitt, and trading for Ward, things haven’t gone as planned so far for the Orioles in 2026. Maybe spending more on another free agent pitcher was a move Elias could have made. Now, they are stuck in the middle of nowhere in the middle of June.
If Baltimore does sell, Ward is one of their top trade chips. The only question is just how aggressively the Rays will add at the deadline. They’re not generally a team that goes all-in a lot. Trading for Ward would be considered going all-in for them.
Baltimore Orioles Predicted To Trade Outfielder to Surprising Division Rival