The Orioles swung a stunning trade Tuesday night when they parted ways with a promising yet injury-prone starting pitcher.

Baltimore traded right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels. In return, the Orioles received power-hitting outfielder Taylor Ward.

The Orioles hoped to add an impact bat to their outfield mix. Now they have, but it comes at the cost of a 26-year-old starting pitcher, and Baltimore has need in its rotation as well. Of course, Rodriguez has battled ample injuries and hasn’t featured in a major league game since July 31, 2024.

President of baseball operations Mike Elias said last week at the GM meetings that Rodriguez is “not something that we’re planning around very heavily. But he’s a guy that provides a real wild card for us talent-wise.”

He still couched that expectation by saying: “You miss a year and, what, two months? We’ve got to be realistic about that.”

As it turns out, his talent was used to acquire help in a different department.

For a long time Rodriguez was the shining light for Baltimore’s starting rotation hopes. He was selected in the first round of the 2018 draft, before Elias became general manager, and he showed significant potential. In parts of two seasons in the majors, Rodriguez pitched to a 4.35 ERA in 2023 and a 3.86 ERA in 2024.

But nagging lat injuries stopped his progress, and he never pitched a game in 2025. His season was ended by an elbow debridement surgery.

Before injuries left him sidelined for all of 2025, Rodriguez grew into a potential ace in the minors. He used a power fastball and a strong slider and changeup to weave his way through lineups, and there were times when it all clicked in Baltimore.

Rodriguez allowed two earned runs or fewer in 15 of his 23 starts in 2023. He did that in 14 of his 20 starts in 2024.

Ward, a right-handed bat, hit 36 home runs last year for the Angels with a .792 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Ward was especially dangerous against left-handed pitching, recording a .918 OPS against southpaws last season.

But what Ward brings in power, he lacks in average. He hit .228 in 2025 and his on-base percentage has declined since a high-water mark of .360 in 2022 (he reached base at a .317 clip in 2025).

Ward demonstrated a key part of the Orioles’ hitting philosophy last season: His chase rate of 20.7% ranked in the 92nd percentile. His ability against lefties, too, will be welcome. The Orioles hit .231 against southpaws in 2025; Ward hit .262 against them.

But he still struck out 26.4% of the time (16th percentile).

Ward is projected to earn $13.7 million next season, his final year of arbitration eligibility, according to a projection from MLB Trade Rumors.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, is under team control through 2029. There doesn’t seem to be lingering injury concerns. At the GM meetings, Elias said that Rodriguez had begun his throwing program and was expected to be ready for competition at the onset of spring training.

“Grayson is healed and is throwing,” Elias said. “There’s nothing right now medically going on that would prevent him from being a full-go at the beginning of spring training. His injuries that he had last year are healed and he’s recovered.”

Instead, Elias bit into his starting pitching depth, even as he aims to bolster the rotation by adding a front-line starter this winter.

A deal of this nature will only increase the importance of Baltimore’s search. The Orioles see right-hander Kyle Bradish and left-hander Trevor Rogers as locks atop the rotation, but Elias was open about the team’s need for another arm of their caliber.

There is depth behind Rogers and Bradish, although the ceilings for some are higher than others. That includes Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, Cade Povich, Brandon Young and Albert Suárez.

Ward’s addition to the outfield is either a precursor to another trade or it solidifies a group that features Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers, Tyler O’Neill, Leody Taveras and Heston Kjerstad. Ward primarily plays left field, so Cowser could be the everyday center fielder.

Cowser took over that role after the Orioles traded away Cedric Mullins ahead of the trade deadline. He held his own defensively despite playing through broken ribs, although Cowser struggled offensively and the Orioles will need a rebound if he’s to play such a prominent role.

This story has been updated.