Predicting the 3 most ideal destinations for Angels' outfielder on the trade block

There has been some fluctuating trade buzz surrounding Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward for some time now. Ward was a hot name during last year's trade deadline, and his recent deal to avoid arbitration could amplify his appeal on the open market. While it's not a ton of savings, coming in $1.375 million less than anticipated does matter for smaller market teams interested in his services.

The Angels won't just give Ward away, and as the roster stands today, they have little incentive to move him. However, should they sign a big bat like Anthony Santander or Pete Alonso, Ward suddenly becomes expendable and one of their best trade pieces.

Just because teams may be interested in Ward doesn't mean they have the goods to land him, however. Despite coming off a 99-loss campaign, the Angels have made several moves to add veterans to upgrade their roster. Yet still, several holes remain.

The Angels need another infielder who can play second or third. They could use help both in the starting rotation and the bullpen. If they were to surrender draft compensation by signing Santander or Alonso, replenishing the farm system could be a priority as well.

The Royals and Angels could do business

Both earlier in the offseason and at last season's trade deadline, it was reported that the Royals had checked in on Taylor Ward in an effort to swap a pitcher for a bat. Ultimately, Kansas City opted to send Brady Singer to Cincinnati for Jonathan India, however, that doesn't mean that the stars can't still align for the Halos and Royals.

Kansas City's projected starting corner outfielders are Hunter Renfroe and MJ Melendez, both of whom posted negative fWARs (-0.1 and -0.3 respectively) last season. Starting centerfielder Kyle Isbel is more of a defensive specialist, making their projected outfield woefully uninspiring as they look to build out an offense around cornerstone Bobby Witt Jr.

Even with the departure of Singer, the Royals recently reunited with Michael Lorenzen and will have more qualified arms than rotation spots. Enter Taylor Ward, whose 111 wRC+ and 2.7 fWAR from last season would be a massive improvements for their outfield situation. Add in his affordable contract and the small market Royals seriously consider adding him.

The Royals could offer up former top prospect Alec Marsh for instance, who is coming off an up-and-down 2024 in his first season in the bigs as a full-time starting pitcher. Perhaps lefty starter-turned-reliever Kris Bubic, who posted an 11.57 K/9 and a 2.67 ERA last season in 30.1 innings pitched could be part of a package.

In any case, the Royals have the need for Ward and the arms that could make a compelling offer to the Angels for his services.

The Detroit Tigers could be an Angels' dance partner

The viability of an Angels-Tigers match is contingent on a couple of things. First, the Angels would have to beat out the Tigers in the Santander chase. This is a prerequisite to a deal getting done, and probably to Ward being moved at all.

Second, the Tigers land their prime target in Alex Bregman to further create a log jam in their infield after also signing second baseman Gleyber Torres. This might not be a necessity for a deal getting done, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

Jace Jung, 24, only played 34 big league games last season but was only able to post a .666 OPS. However, he's shown real power in the minors and supplemented that with a superb eye at the plate. He finished 2023 with a 13.7% walk rate between A+ and AA ball and posted a 16.1% walk rate in 91 AAA games last season. That plate discipline came up with him to the majors as well, as he walked 16.0% of the time with Detroit.

A Bregman signing would block him for the foreseeable future in Detroit. Additionally, if the Tigers were to lose out on Santander, Ward would be a nice consolation prize for them. Ward's affordability means they could likely fit him in their payroll while also handing Bregman the mega-deal he's looking for.

For the Angels, they would add yet another promising young position player to go along with the likes of Zach Neto, Christian Moore, and Logan O'Hoppe. Jung not only has tremendous potential, but also fills a position of need. Some dominoes need to fall, but this would be a win-win sort of deal.

The Toronto Blue Jays can't get anyone to take their money, so maybe they trade with the Angels instead

The Blue Jays have been desperately attempting to upgrade their roster. They were chasing Juan Soto, but came up short. They were in on Corbin Burnes, just to watch him wind up in Arizona. Now, they're pursuing Anthony Santander with an apparent four-year $82 million offer.

Like with the Tigers, a Taylor Ward trade between these two teams is dependent on Santander signing somewhere other than Toronto, and preferably with the Angels. Between George Springer posting a .674 OPS last season and Joey Loperfido being generally uninspiring, Toronto could really use some help in the outfield corners.

It's easy to see that Ward would be a clear upgrade for them. As for what they could give up that would be of interest to the Halos, there's their number two prospect, Orelvis Martinez. The 23-year-old second baseman made his big league debut in 2024. Martinez isn't perfect, almost immediately after reaching the big leagues he was hit with an 80-game PED suspension that certainly tarnished some of his luster. Still, in 74 AAA games last season, he posted a .267/.346/.523 line with 17 dingers. In 2023, he hit 28 combined homers between AA and AAA.

Toronto traded for Andres Gimenez to man second base for the foreseeable future earlier this offseason, and after the suspension could look to move on from Martinez. For the Angels, they get an intriguing roll of the dice on a young player to add to their collection. This could be yet another win-win proposition for both sides.

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