The Orioles were open about their desire to land an additional power bat, especially one that could fit into the outfield, but the manner of doing it came as a surprise late Tuesday night.

Baltimore flipped right-hander Grayson Rodriguez — whose potential is sky-high while his durability is questionable at best — for outfielder Taylor Ward. In doing so, the Orioles jumped the market, appearing to prefer Ward over several high-end (and potentially high-priced) free agent outfielders, such as Cody Bellinger, Kyle Tucker and Kyle Schwarber.

The trickle-down effect of this trade is felt heavily in the outfield and rotation, and it could be a precursor for something much larger from president of baseball operations Mike Elias, who has projected the team’s willingness to spend.

The Orioles, apparently, are not making a run at the top outfielders available. At the same time, trading Rodriguez — and further dwindling a rotation that needs reinforcements — insinuates that major capital will be used this winter to supplement the top end of the rotation.

Let’s begin with the outfield equation before expounding on what could be an aggressive hunt for a starter (if not two or more).

What Ward means for Colton Cowser

More than anyone, Colton Cowser simultaneously received positional clarity and a resounding vote of confidence, assuming the Orioles don’t overhaul more of their outfield by surprise.

Ward predominantly plays as a left fielder. He’s not a terrific one at that. In 2025, Ward finished with zero outs above average, an advanced metric measuring a player’s range and ability to turn batted balls into outs, per Statcast. That was a regression from previous years, including four outs above average in 2024.

Even if Ward rediscovers some of his defensive prowess during his age-32 season, he has little experience in center. Cowser, meanwhile, appears to be the center fielder of choice as things stand currently, and Leody Taveras (signed earlier this month as depth) can also play there. Cowser inherited that position when the Orioles traded Cedric Mullins to the Mets, and while his offensive numbers were down, he impressed defensively despite playing through broken ribs.

Cowser finished with one out above average in 132 attempts in center last year. He did well going back on balls, although improving his first step on balls toward the infield is necessary. His arm strength is a plus in center and helps to separate him from Mullins in a head-to-head comparison, though his range may not be as strong.

If Cowser can maintain that slightly above average performance defensively, it will cover for some of Cowser’s offensive hitches. But then again, the Orioles are bullish on Cowser’s bounce-back potential. He finished with a .196 average and .654 on-base-plus-slugging percentage last season, down from a .242 average and .768 OPS as a rookie.

The Orioles could have opted to shift Cowser back to left as they searched for an external center fielder, such as Bellinger or Harrison Bader. But in nabbing Ward — whose 36-homer bat adds power to the middle of the order — the Orioles appear able to shift their focus to pitching.

The rotation needs even more support now

This was a need before trading Rodriguez. It’s even larger now, because a wild-card possibility is gone.

Rodriguez may not have returned to his old self or blossomed into the ace many believed he could be throughout his time in Baltimore’s farm system. But if he had, the Orioles would have benefited from having another big arm to join Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers at the top of the rotation. Even with Rodriguez in that mix, Elias was emphatic about Baltimore’s need for a top-end starter.

Now they may need two or three starting pitcher additions to account for possible injuries and slumps.

Behind Bradish and Rogers are Dean Kremer, who has been fairly dependable, and a smattering of depth options, many of whom have yet to show consistency: Cade Povich, Tyler Wells, Brandon Young and Albert Suárez.

The Orioles are looking to add a front-line starter, but additional depth won’t go amiss.

“Hopefully we can find somebody who can provide innings and front-half-of-the-rotation stuff, but those usually come at a high acquisition cost in our business,” Elias said last week at the GM meetings. “But we’re going to try.”

Try they must. The free agent market is ripe with high-end pitching, even after left-hander Shota Imanaga and right-hander Brandon Woodruff accepted qualifying offers from the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively. Elias expressed willingness to part with draft pick compensation in pursuit of a player who rejected the qualifying offer, and that could include several noteworthy arms.

Left-hander Framber Valdez is chief among them. He rejected the Houston Astros’ qualifying offer after producing a 3.66 ERA in 192 innings. The 32-year-old has pitched more than 175 innings in four straight seasons.

Four other starters rejected qualifying offers: right-hander Dylan Cease (4.55 ERA in 168 innings), left-hander Ranger Suárez (3.20 ERA in 157 1/3 innings), right-hander Zac Gallen (4.83 ERA in 192 innings) and right-hander Michael King (3.44 ERA in 73 1/3 innings).

Right-hander Merrill Kelly is available without the cost of draft pick compensation. At 37, he may be available on a short-term deal, too, should the Orioles prefer. He’s coming off a season in which he pitched to a 3.52 ERA in 184 frames for the Diamondbacks and Rangers.

And even with one trade done, there could be room for more — which may augment the outfield configuration further if Baltimore must draw from more major league talent to swing a deal.

The Brewers have downplayed the need to trade right-hander Freddy Peralta, but after his 2.70 ERA in 176 2/3 innings this year, Milwaukee will surely receive interest. The Reds could be persuaded to move right-hander Hunter Greene (2.76 ERA in 107 2/3 innings). And the top prize would be prying back-to-back American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers as he enters the final year of his contract.

However it plays out, trading for Ward (and using Rodriguez to do it) leaves two truths. Cowser has a lot of grass to cover in center, and the rotation needs even more work.