It’s pretty clear that Orioles fans thought more of the future of one-time ace pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez than Mike Elias did after dealing the 26-year with four years of MLB control to Anaheim for slugging outfielder Taylor Ward. Why did the Birds quit on GrayRod? Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the philosophy and offseason strategy of new ownership with free agency looming.
Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Orioles’ trade of Grayson Rodriguez for Taylor Ward. Jones argued that Rodriguez should not have been part of the 2026 plans due to injury history and questioned the trade’s value, noting Ward’s one-year contract and high strikeout rate. Jones emphasized the need for the Orioles to make additional high-impact moves, including acquiring a frontline starting pitcher and impact relievers. Aparicio highlighted the urgency for the Orioles to maximize their chances in 2026, given Rodriguez’s potential long-term value. Both agreed on the importance of the upcoming winter meetings for the Orioles’ future strategy.
Action Items
- [ ] Analyze Grayson Rodriguez’s medical history and the Orioles’ concerns about his long-term outlook.
- [ ] Evaluate whether the Orioles could have obtained a better return for Rodriguez, potentially a player who could play center field.
- [ ] Determine what other moves the Orioles need to make, such as signing a top starting pitcher and adding high-leverage relievers, to improve their chances of contending in 2026.
Outline
Orioles Trade of Grayson Rodriguez for Taylor Ward
- Nestor Aparicio introduces the topic of the Orioles trading Grayson Rodriguez for Taylor Ward, expressing shock and surprise.
- Nestor mentions his previous conversations with various guests about the potential trade and the speculation surrounding Mike Elias’ decision.
- Luke Jones responds, stating that the Orioles did not rip off the Angels and explains his view that Grayson Rodriguez should not have been part of the 2026 plans.
- Luke discusses the potential scenarios for Rodriguez, including him becoming a reliever or being traded, and rejects the idea that the trade signals a move to acquire top-tier pitching.
Evaluating Grayson Rodriguez’s Value
- Luke Jones emphasizes that Grayson Rodriguez still has four years of team control and that pitchers with injury histories can sometimes recover and contribute.
- Nestor Aparicio acknowledges Rodriguez’s high ceiling and compares him to other high-ceiling players in the Orioles’ history.
- Luke explains that the trade is a clear statement of the Orioles’ lack of confidence in Rodriguez’s ability to stay healthy.
- Luke describes Taylor Ward as a good hitter but notes his high strikeout rate and lower on-base percentage compared to other high-power hitters.
Impact on Orioles’ Offense and Future Moves
- Nestor and Luke discuss the Orioles’ offense and whether the trade for Taylor Ward aims high enough for their offensive needs.
- Luke expresses skepticism about the Orioles adding another meaningful bat and shifts focus to the pitching staff.
- Luke explains the implications of trading a young pitcher with team control for a rental player, suggesting the Orioles are “all in” for 2026.
- Nestor and Luke discuss the potential impact of Taylor Ward on the Orioles’ lineup and the need for additional impact moves to improve their chances in 2026.
Speculation and Alternative Deals
- Nestor and Luke speculate about the reasons behind the trade, including potential personality clashes or physical issues.
- Luke mentions the possibility of other deals that could have been made, such as acquiring a center fielder like Luis Robert.
- Nestor and Luke discuss the value of Grayson Rodriguez compared to other players and the potential for him to become a valuable asset in the future.
- Luke emphasizes the need for the Orioles to make additional high-impact moves to maximize their chances in 2026.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
- Nestor and Luke conclude the discussion by reiterating the need for the Orioles to make significant moves in the free agent market and through trades.
- Luke expresses frustration with the return for Grayson Rodriguez but acknowledges the potential for Taylor Ward to help the team in 2026.
- Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of the upcoming winter meetings and the need for the Orioles to secure a top starting pitcher and other key players.
- The conversation ends with Nestor and Luke expressing their continued commitment to covering the Orioles and providing insightful analysis for their listeners.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Orioles trade, Grayson Rodriguez, Taylor Ward, pitching prospects, team control, injury history, starting pitcher, center field, free agent, 2026 season, health concerns, offensive improvement, winter meetings, Baltimore baseball.
SPEAKERS
Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home. We are W n s t a 1570 task of Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive and positively getting ready for football, ready for the baseball all season, and certainly getting ready for Turkey. Speaking of turkeys, we had a trade in the baseball parlance here this week, if you’re on our W NST tech service brought to you by Cole roofing and Gordian energy, you probably were as shocked as I was shocked as Luke was shocked to be sending it out Grayson Rodriguez not a part of the Orioles plans. I don’t know if that’s shocking to me, Luke, other than the fact that I said to you. I said to Alan, I said to Ron Cassie, even shine, and I had him on when you weren’t around. All the baseball chats I’ve had, I’m like, they’re gonna be some feelings hurt here, because underperforming young players get dealt. I don’t know if number one pitching prospects do, unless you believe their arm is shot, but there’s a lot of speculation about this and say, did Mike Elias just rip off the angels?
Luke Jones 01:06
I mean, no, he did not rip off the angels. And that, I would say that even if Grayson Rodriguez barely pitches again because
Nestor Aparicio 01:15
they got a major league baseball player back for him, is that how you look at it
Luke Jones 01:18
for one year? I mean, for one year, look, first of all, Grayson Rodriguez should never have been in the plans for 2026 and what I mean by that, that’s what I said to you after this. You know, even before the season ended, to me, I had him over off to the side, right? I wasn’t planning on him being one of my starting five. I didn’t know what I was going to get from him. And my thought all along was, if he’s healthy, then that’s a good problem, and you figure it out whether that means you put him in the rotation and someone like Tyler wells at the back of the rotation goes into the bullpen, whether that means Grayson Rodriguez potentially becomes a reliever, whatever it is. So I’m completely unmoved by the response to this being, oh, well, the this means the Orioles are going out and getting big time pitching. They didn’t need to trade Grayson Rodriguez to do that. Those are not mutually exclusive concepts, right there. So I reject that part of it that said, when you look at the reality that Grayson Rodriguez even with his injury history over the last 18 months, still carries four years of Team control. You know, through 2029 when you still look at the arm, when you look at the history of pitchers, that yes, elbow injuries and arm injuries are are not good, but you can also find plenty of guys that do find health eventually and can contribute. And, you know, there are plenty of pictures that have been written off, and then suddenly, a year or two later, they contribute. So
Nestor Aparicio 02:50
he’s different than a lot of them, because he was a way higher ceiling guy than most guys, sure, and maybe the highest ceiling guy we’ve had here in a generation,
Luke Jones 02:58
really. I mean, he’s up there. He’s certainly up there in that regard. And granted, guys, generally speaking, throw harder now than they did 20 years ago, let alone 40 or 50 years ago. But that’s certainly part of it. And I will say this, and this is why I would reject any and I don’t think too many people, and I’m not suggesting you were even saying this. I don’t think anyone thinks that the that the Orioles pulled a fast one here. I think everyone kind of sees what this is. This is very clearly a statement that they have no meaningful confidence whatsoever that Grayson Rodriguez can stay healthy. Because if you did, this is a terrible trade. I mean, just from the standpoint of it’s one year of Taylor Ward, who, don’t get me wrong, is a nice hitter. He’s a nice player. 36 home runs last year. He will help their offense. I wish he wasn’t the same kind of prototype of guys that they have, which are high power, high strikeout. I will say this, he does walk more than some of these other guys. He has a better you know, he’s better in terms of not chasing quite as much. At the same time, he batted 228 and had a 315 on base percent or 317 on base percentage this past year, it’s honestly, he’s a healthier version of Tyler O’Neill that that’s kind of what Taylor Ward is.
Nestor Aparicio 04:13
Well, they’ve been chasing down the Santander stats.
Luke Jones 04:17
I’m not I’m not saying that can’t help them. However, if you’ve heard me talk a lot about this offense going back to the beginning of last year and how woeful it was, and how that was a way bigger part of this thing than just pointing to and saying, pitching, pitching, pitching. Is this aiming high enough for what I was hoping their offense to do? Not really. And I would say now, am I optimistic they’re going to add another meaningful bat? Probably not. So now it’s all eyes on the pitching and what they do with starters. The interesting part about this is when you make a move like this, when you trade a young pitcher, even an off. Injured one, still a young pitcher who carries club control through 2029 and you trade him for a rental. And look, Taylor Ward might have a really good year in Camden at Camden Yards, especially with, you know, a shorter left field, obviously, when they move the fence in last year, and that gives them a right handed bat that, obviously they coveted last year, and Tyler O’Neill didn’t work out well, but he’s going to be 32 next month, and he signed through, you know, has one year of arbitration left. You know, he’s going to be a free agent at this time a year from now. Is that, generally speaking, the profile of a player that you’re going to extend? Generally not. So this is basically a rental. So when you do this just in a vacuum, when you trade a pitcher who has years of club control left for someone who’s going to be a free agent at the end of this coming season, that’s a signal that you’re kind of all in, right? You’re kind of all systems go for 2026 so then, if that’s the case, and believe me, I’m not sitting here ready to throw a parade about Taylor Ward coming to Baltimore, but he makes your lineup better. I’m not going to sit here and say he’s not a good player. He’s a good guy who’s hit home runs and Okay, defense in left field. You know he’s but let’s
Nestor Aparicio 06:19
not projected to be what. He’s not going to be 80. He’s not going to have an OB on base, percentage of four.
Luke Jones 06:24
Probably not going to hit 36 home runs again, right? I mean, you know, but, but he’ll help them, right? I’m not saying that Taylor Ward can’t play but when you make a move like this, and this is the category that I keep finding myself in when I look at most of the Orioles moves that they’ve made since trading for Corbin burns. It’s always okay, I can follow what they’re trying to do here. But what’s next? What’s the caveat? What else are they going to do? Right? And now you feel
Nestor Aparicio 06:53
like it’s a setup to a bigger play, unless it was Corbin burns, it hasn’t been
Luke Jones 06:57
right. And that’s where I look at this thing and say, Okay, if you if you’ve traded, if you’ve given up on Grayson Rodriguez, and that’s fine, although I certainly would have looked for a different type of player than what they got, because Taylor Ward can’t play center field. Does this mean Colton cows are now your everyday center fielder? I don’t know if I want Colton cows are to be an everyday player. You know, I he feels like more of a platoon guy for me at this point, until he proves otherwise. But the point is now, when you have him in left field, you know, unless they’re going to take a longer look at Dylan beavers in center and, you know, cows are defensively, looked solid in center field over the last six or seven weeks, my issues were with his bat. So but because you’ve added another corner outfielder type that fits this mold, you know. Now I look at this and say, Okay, what else are you going to do? You know, who else is going to be in the center field picture? And now with Grayson Rodriguez, who, let’s face it, was a wild card. Again, I wasn’t penciling him into my rotation. So for me, that part of the argument, you know, you didn’t need to trade Grayson Rodriguez to go out and sign a frontline starting pitcher. You needed that anyway, right? You needed to sign a frontline starting pitcher and still probably a back end guy to kind of slot in with the other options that you have that fit that
Nestor Aparicio 08:15
mold. Well, also what you could buy in the free agent market, to buy an outfielder, to not give up a pitcher you have team control for four years. I mean, it really, really speaks to how sour they were on Grayson Rodriguez, it wasn’t a little sour. It wasn’t we’re going to give him a D plus and hope for a b minus at some point. It’s an F like, to be done with them. Yeah. Like, and that would speak to me that, you know, again, I don’t have a press credential. I’m not allowed to ask questions. But back in the era when guys like me were you would, you would find out, like, he’s got this problem or that problem, a person, you know, whatever the Mojo is, I call it rocky Coppinger disease, which is, you know, you come close, but you don’t make it. And then there’s Eric Bedard disease, where you make it and you’re such a dick that they want to get rid of you. So I don’t know where that is in any of these cases. I do know the guy had a million dollar arm. I mean, we saw that at one point. He had a million dollar arm. But so did Dylan Bundy, so did Hunter Harvey. Yeah, we go through the list of all of whatever disappointments would be. Chris Tillman had a million dollar arm for a minute. I mean, there were, you know, there were, there were some guys that trended in that direction. You don’t usually do this with 2425
Luke Jones 09:35
year old guys, yeah, and I will say, I mean, he’s 26 now, so, you know, because he’s been around a few years, right? I mean, that’s the reality. I will say this personality wise, I don’t know. I have wondered, and I’ve alluded to this, I have wondered if they’ve been on the same page in terms of how he trains, in terms of his mechanics. Remember, go back to last spring, there was a lot of talk about how he. He’d kind of changed his mechanics, and, you know, trying to, well,
Nestor Aparicio 10:03
also remember, you and I went to Sarasota, and they didn’t bring him up at one point, right? Like, you know, like, and Palmer was involved in that at the beginning of a year, is he ready? Is he not ready? And we’re still, like, two years later, waiting for the START to begin again, right? Like, literally, yeah. So, so I
Luke Jones 10:19
got Look, I don’t have a problem with them concluding whatever they feel about him as a pitcher, you know, whether there’s anything with the personality. Well, they know a lot. We know, but they know a lot. But I and obviously they know a lot more. Looking at the medicals, right? Looking at the MRI, looking at the imaging for his elbow, for his shoulder. You know, he’s had multiple lat strains, all of that. You know, he had the bone, the bone deposits, removed from his elbow. He had that surgery in August. You know, was that causing everything? Or was that just kind of a subplot here that really isn’t necessarily explaining why he continues to have lat strains, right? So, I’m fine in a big picture sense, if you looked at the medicals, you looked at the makeup, you know, whether there were personality clashes, you know, again, that’s the more speculative part of this. I have no problem with the idea that you come to the conclusion you want to trade him. However, the return I’m very mad one I just am one year of a 32 year old outfielder who,
Nestor Aparicio 11:23
you know, to me, you can buy that player in order to give a pitcher up to get that player. And that’s the part that, that’s
Luke Jones 11:33
where I’m a little a little more frustrated that that they didn’t, they didn’t do something to diversify what they had like, for example, was there another deal out there to be made that you could go out and get someone that’s a center fielder, right? I I saw some a few fans here and there bring up Luis Robert for the White Sox, for example, and that’s just an example, right? And look, his offense has fallen off a cliff the last year or two, but he’s still a great defensive center fielder. And there’s some upside there. There’s some intrigue there that I don’t necessarily feel the same way about with Taylor ward. So that’s where my frustration is. A little bit more is, could you have done better in terms of a deal? Right? And let me be clear, I’m not saying that meant you’re good. I’m not suggesting you trade Grayson Rodriguez for someone’s number two starting pitcher. I’m not saying that at all, but something that felt a little bit different compared to just adding another corner outfield. Well, let’s be
Nestor Aparicio 12:25
honest, if we if they don’t rushman in this kind of a deal, we would scratch our head too and just say like they’re both damaged goods, right? I mean, where you are, Adley
Luke Jones 12:38
rutsman is not even close to the same. Adley rutchman still a valuable player. I mean, Grayson Rodriguez was unavailable the last year and a half, right? Fair enough. So I understand the point you’re trying to make there, but Adley rutsman would still,
Nestor Aparicio 12:50
well, to your point to say, we get more for Grayson Rodriguez. 27 general managers might look and say, You know what I would put a stink. You’re like, let’s get him better. He’ll be our Trevor Rogers next opening day
Luke Jones 13:06
where, that’s kind of where I fall where. And we gave
Nestor Aparicio 13:08
up an outfielder, we didn’t want more bad team, and let him hit 30 home runs somewhere
Luke Jones 13:12
else. Yeah. So, because you look at this, Nestor, I mean, when you’re talking about someone that’s under team control in 2029 you know that’s, that’s a long time. You know that that’s, that’s a long time. I mean, think about how you and I were talking about Trevor Rogers 12 months ago, and now he’s going to be their number two or number three starter, right? I mean, it speaks to how things can change. So for me, I guess that’s where some of my frustration lies, in the sense of, you know, I just gave up four years of whatever Grayson Rodriguez can be, and look that might end up being. Nothing is Taylor Ward truly going to put them over the hump this year? Well, you better go out and make four other impact moves of some nature, some form, a frontline starting pitcher, maybe another starting pitcher. You need two impact relievers, right? So I guess for me, if this is the first move of the A series of other high impact editions that they’re going to make, to truly say, Hey, we are going to truly optimize our chances to win in 2026 fully acknowledging that, yeah, Grayson Rodriguez, take this year out of the equation. Let’s say the because the angels are going to have to manage his innings, even if he’s if he’s healthy, right? He’s not going to throw 180 innings after having not pitched since July of 24 so take this year out of it. You’re acknowledging okay, even if Grayson Rodriguez becomes something for them in 27 and 28 and 29 Taylor Ward’s going to help us, because he’s going to help our offense. And we added these two starting pitchers, and we added these two guys to the back end of our bullpen, and three of our young guys took step four, steps forward, and gunner Henderson looked more like the 24 version of him than the 25 so you know, lay out your scenario, and then, okay, I don’t know if this deal will ever be viewed as a whole. Home run, because again, one year of Taylor ward. I mean, okay, if he hits 50 home runs this year, then and Grayson Rodriguez never throws another pitch. Then, yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 15:07
the looks like Nelson Cruz or Santa there. We would take that for
Luke Jones 15:11
sure. But on the flip side, if Grayson Rodriguez never becomes the ace that anyone thought he could be, but let’s just say he becomes a league average starting pitcher in 2728 and 29 the Orioles lost that deal. Then most likely. So, you know, it’s, it’s a very low bar for the angels to win this deal, in my, in my opinion. So look whatever that means in the future. And let me be clear, I’m not at all suggesting this is going to turn into Glenn Davis for Kurt, you know, Curt Schilling for Glenn Davis? I don’t think that’s going to happen, let’s be clear. But at the same time, it is still a hypothetical asset
Nestor Aparicio 15:52
that I don’t know who they traded for, Chris Davis. We should talk about that, right? Like say if, if he gives you one coach,
Luke Jones 15:58
remember, they traded koji and they got Chris Davis and they got Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter, who was useful for them for a few years. So we’re gonna see. I’m now on the trade. I can’t sit here and say that I love the trade, and I’m also not going to sit here and say that, that I despise this, necessarily, or anything like
Nestor Aparicio 16:16
that. I Rex them, and Grayson Rodriguez is a 20 game winner for the angels in 27 or 28 right?
Luke Jones 16:24
Although the skeptic would say, did they have any idea how to keep them healthy? Did they have any idea to fix them? I would say this. This is, and this is where, this is probably a little more of a point in favor of the Orioles with this deal. If you look at the angels track record with pitchers in recent years, I don’t, I can’t say that I love Grayson Rodriguez’s chances of ever realizing his they found the right sucker. Maybe. I mean, maybe. And look, I mean, he could go out there the second week of spring training, and his elbow, they say he needs Tommy John surgery, you know. And then you’re talking about he’s out for all of this year and part of next year.
Nestor Aparicio 16:59
So, you know, then every general manager who had any Taylor ward or whatever
Luke Jones 17:04
would have known that, yeah, so, so I don’t know, and I don’t feel for him, without checking his medicals big time, right? Well, you’re checking it, but at the same time that I’m this is what the angels are probably thinking, we stink. Taylor Ward’s gonna be a free agent after this year. There’s a good chance we were either going to look to trade him at some point this winter anyway, or trade him at the deadline come July. So we don’t know. You’re not going to get an asset in return that has the level of intrigue and hypothetical upside that Grayson Rodriguez is going to bring us, which includes four years of Team control, counting 26 so even if he ends up being nothing, even if he just becomes a late inning, reliever down the line, this is worth it for us to at least take that swing, because what else are you really getting for Taylor Ward and on the flip side? And this is why I keep coming back to this, and this was your point as well. If you’re the Orioles, I don’t know how you make this trade, unless you look at the medicals. You look at where he’s been in the last year and a half, you look at the level of urgency for 2026 you have perhaps talked to a half dozen other teams or a dozen other teams, and they were either not interested or were offering less than Taylor Ward even. And you say this might be our last chance to get anything of value for him whatsoever, because if he has another completely lost season, or he pitches in eight games and he’s on the shelf again, or whatever it is then, then we are talking about someone who has no more value left.
Nestor Aparicio 18:49
Well, they don’t think he has a stuff, because if you thought he had a stuff, you wouldn’t deal him for a one year rental. For a player you could sign for 12
Luke Jones 18:56
million. And I don’t, I don’t think it’s even that. I don’t think that’s even I think it’s way more they have such a low degree of confidence in the physical part at this point in time, meaning staying healthy. I don’t think it, I don’t think it has to do with his profile of how hard, you know, I mean, through hard, right? I mean, had a great change, you know, good change up was still developing, you know, you know, some of his secondary stuff, but we saw it, you know, he flashed it the second half of 23 so, you know, to me, I don’t know how you justify this trade, unless, if you’re the Orioles, you have just such an extremely low degree of confidence in his health that he’s going to be able to stay healthy, and you thought this was your last best chance to get something for him. Would I have liked something different? You know, something that profiled differently? You know, someone that could play center field rather than just being a corner outfielder, sure, but if this is the best they could do, I’ll say this, well, then take advantage of your one year of Taylor ward. Then don’t waste it. Don’t make, don’t make these half measure type moves that we’ve seen them make. Take. Don’t just worry about improving on the margins, because if you do that, then, then I like this deal even less, right? If you don’t, if you don’t, truly maximize everything else you need to do, I like this deal even less because it is only one year of Taylor ward. So, you know, I’ll say this, just like all the moves they made last year. It’s like, okay, in a vacuum, I can follow what you’re doing, I suppose. But there better be more on the way, and now they’re on the clock because you can’t even, you know, you can’t sell the Grayson Rodriguez even as a wild card anymore. So you better go out there and get a number one starter, and go out there and go get two high leverage relievers and go get another back end starter to fortify your depth in that regard, because if you don’t do those things, then I like this deal even less, because you’re not really having a great chance to win in 26 anyway. And if that’s the case, then hold on to Grayson Rodriguez and see if you can get them healthy, even if it’s for 2027 and beyond. He is
Nestor Aparicio 20:59
Luke Jones. He is Baltimore, Luke. We’re gonna be doing the Maryland crab cakes were presented by we’re presented by the Maryland lottery soon, right after Thanksgiving, we’ll have some fresh dates out for you. Also, a big thanks to our friends at GBMC for looking after me colonoscopy this week, reminding everyone get your PSA checked. Hopefully I will check out. Okay, I’ll be mentioning that out social media if I’m clean and clear and and good to go for the next, hopefully 57 years. They say it’s about 10 years, by the way. GBMC, you know, I would say on the baseball thing, if you’re on the wnst tech service, you’re going to get it first if it happens. But I did, this segment did force me to figure out when the winter meetings are and where. So they are in Orlando, and they begin December 8. So you keep saying they better get a number one start, or get a number one man. That’s a it’s a difficult thing to do, and it’s an expensive thing to do, and sometime between here and Valentine’s Day, they’re going to have to get that part of it done. He is Luke, I am Nestor. We are W, N, S, T, A and 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore. Positive. You.
