Taylor Ward tantalizes Angels fans with quotes following his trade to Orioles

The Taylor Ward trade was long-rumored, but even seeing it happen shocked Angels fans. Ward had been in the organization for a decade, and he grew a fondness for the Angels and their fans and vice versa. Losing him definitely makes the team feel a little more hollow, even with the gigantic return in Grayson Rodriguez.

The Angels traded Ward in part because he is on an expiring deal. However, Ward is giving fans hope in his recent quotes that discuss his move out of Anaheim.

Taylor Ward tantalizes Angels fans with quotes following his trade to Orioles

Per Sam Blum of The Athletic: “Who knows? I’ll obviously be a free agent after this year. And anything can happen after that.” Don't give us hope, Taylor!

Taylor Ward is a homegrown star that fans grew to love and admire for his hard work and dedication to his craft. The amount of positional and mechanical changes the former first rounder made is beyond comprehension, and he forcefully turned his way into a preeminent slugger. Ward's been one of the lone bright spots for the organization over the last decade, and losing him certainly hurts emotionally.

Ward re-signing with the team that dealt him would certainly not be the first time a player has done so. The most famous example in modern baseball history of this was the New York Yankees trading Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs (for Gleyber Torres, amongst others), then re-signing him that offseason.

Ward is in-line to make $13 million this year from the Orioles, and if he once again belts 30+ home runs then the soon-to-be 32-year-old could cash in majorly next offseason. If he does not prove to be as effective as Ward or the Orioles want, then he might turn out to be much cheaper than anticipated. Not to mention if he does not do well in Baltimore, he might want to return home in order to build his value back up in a place he'd done it time-and-time again previously.

The Angels are certainly short of outfielders now, and could find themselves in a similar situation next offseason for all we know. Ward is a feel-good story for Angels fans, and it's a fan's dream to trade a player and get him back as soon as possible. Ward tantalizing Angels fans like this does not just feel like lip-service, he might actually want to return if he struggles elsewhere.