After trading away starting pitcher Luis Castillo, the Seattle Mariners have now acquired an outfielder for their playoff push.
The Mariners have acquired outfielder Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for prospects Alex Hoppe, Harrison Kreiling and Brock Moore, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Mariners, at 55-58, are still just three games back from the AL West lead, and two games back in the Wild Card.
Ward was slashing .246/.383/.346 with seven home runs and 30 runs driven in this year. He currently leads the league in walks, but has obviously lacked the power we’re used to seeing from him.
What Will the Seattle Mariners Be Getting in Ward?
Ward was sent from the Los Angeles Angels to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Grayson Rodriguez earlier in the league year.
Last year with the Angels, Ward hit .228 but with 36 home runs and 103 runs driven in. In his career, Ward has slashed .247/.336/.426 with 120 home runs.
According to Baseball Savant, Ward has been slightly unlucky this season with a .377 expected slugging and a .346 xwOBA.
He has also been squaring up baseballs at a 34.2% rate, in the 95th percentile. But what’s really stood out this year is his plate discipline. He has a 17.2% walk rate, which places him in the 98th percentile, and a 14.2% chase rate, in the 100th percentile.
This season, he has been a slightly below-average defender with a +0 Outs Above Average, in the 42nd percentile.
The Mariners traded three unranked prospects for Ward, which may be an underpay when all is said and done.
Even though Ward has played left field the majority of his career, Randy Arozarena currently has that locked down. Ward could very well platoon with Dominic Canzone for right field or be a designated hitter.
Against left-handers this season, Ward is slashing .269/.413/.426 with four home runs.
More On Mariners/AL Wild Card
The Houston Astros are in buy mode after a terrific run of late. Sitting at 58-55, they rule the division by 2.5 games. While the Mariners are third in the division, the Texas Rangers, who sit a half-game ahead of them, are looking to be in sell mode.
Ahead of the Mariners in the Wild Card are the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins to grab that third spot from the Cleveland Guardians.
While the Guardians have been slipping of late (3-7 in their last 10), Minnesota has been on the upswing. The Twins might be Seattle’s lone competitor to jump due to the moves they’ve been making.
While the Mariners have a 32.7% chance to make the playoffs, per Baseball Reference, this move could elevate them in what has been a poor offensive year for the Mariners, who have scored the third-fewest runs in the American League at 454.
More moves could be in store for Seattle as we get closer to the Trade Deadline at 6 pm EST.
BREAKING: Seattle Mariners Acquire Taylor Ward From Orioles