Sep 3, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Taylor Ward (3) bats during the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Jay Biggerstaff
If the Phillies are going to acquire an impact right-handed hitting outfielder this offseason, it's not going to be cheap.
The latest evidence of that came Tuesday evening, when the Baltimore Orioles acquired outfielder Taylor Ward — someone Phillies fans have been interested in dating back to the 2024 trade deadline — for RHP Grayson Rodriguez.
Granted, Rodriguez missed the entire 2025 season, eventually undergoing right elbow debridement surgery in August. But he's a former first-round pick who went 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 130 strikeouts across 116 2/3 innings in 2024. There are durability questions, but he just turned 26 and won't be a free agent until after the 2029 season.
Meanwhile, Ward did hit 36 home runs with 103 RBIs and 75 walks this past year for the Angels. There's a reason why the Orioles — and probably many other teams — were interested in him. At the same time, he hit .228 in 2025, will turn 32 next month and is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility.
If this was the price to trade for Ward, it's understandable why president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies didn't meet it.
Still, a need for an impact right-handed bat — ideally in the outfield — still exists for the Phillies. Ward is no longer an option, and his trade may mean the Angels hold onto Jo Adell, another potential trade target for the Phillies. Even if the Halos are willing to listen on Adell, he's 26 and has two years remaining before free agency. The price for Ward was very high, and it would likely be even higher for Adell.
Exactly where the Phillies go from here in trying to find a right-handed bat is unclear. It may be that bringing back Harrison Bader starts to look like an even better idea. Dombrowski said at last week's general manager's meetings that the Phillies are interested in re-signing Bader, who hit .305 in 50 games after being acquired last summer. But between the Ward trade and Trent Grisham accepting the qualifying offer, it was a great day for Bader, who is going to have other suitors beyond the Phillies.
