Taylor Ward still can get traded this offseason
It's been a relatively quiet offseason when it comes to rumors, but one rumor involving the Angels has them targeting a pair of outfielders in Michael A. Taylor and Adam Duvall.Both of these outfielders are coming off strong seasons and neither would be signing on to be a bench player. Sure, those players probably wouldn't play every single game, but they'd have fairly major roles if the Angels brought them in.
The way things look right now, Los Angeles already has a full outfield. Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, and Mickey Moniak figure to start with Jo Adell serving as the fourth outfielder. No, Adell has not earned a guaranteed spot yet, but with him being out of options, he's going to make the team barring a trade. The Angels won't want to DFA him and risk losing him for nothing.
If the Angels sign an outfielder, someone would likely have to go. Trout is not going anywhere, and it feels unlikely that they'd rush to trade Moniak after he broke out. Adell could be traded, but again, it's hard to see outfielder of Taylor or Duvall's caliber signing on to be a fourth outfielder. That leaves just Ward who probably isn't likely to go anywhere, but he still can.
The 30-year-old has three more years of control and can absolutely help a team out in need of a corner outfielder. We've seen how good he can be when right, and if the Angels don't want him long-term, his value won't ever be much higher than it is right now. Using him as part of a deal to improve the rotation or potentially boost the farm system are two avenues the Angels could potentially take.