Orioles trade Taylor Ward to Mariners for three pitchers

The Orioles swung a deal to acquire Taylor Ward over the winter. Now Baltimore is sending the veteran outfielder out in another trade after a little more than half a season.

The Orioles are trading Ward to the Seattle Mariners, parting with the pending free agent rather than holding him for the final two months of the season, two sources confirmed (and as ESPN reported first).

In return, the Mariners are sending the Orioles three pitchers: right-handers Alex Hoppe, Harrison Kreiling and Brock Moore, a source confirmed (MLB.com first reported the return). Of those three, Hoppe, a 27-year-old, is the only one to reach the majors so far. He has a 5.79 ERA in 24 games.

Moore, 26, is a Double-A pitcher. Kreiling, 24, is in Single-A.

Had the Orioles kept Ward, he may have been a candidate to receive a qualifying offer this winter. Instead, the 32-year-old will hit the open market unless he signs a contract extension with Mariners.

Ward is having an odd season. He’s reaching base at a higher clip than ever before with the help of an elite understanding of the strike zone. His chase rate — swings on pitches outside the zone — is just 14.3%, which ranks in the 100th percentile. His walk rate is 17.2%, which is in the 98th percentile.

But some of his power hasn’t translated from last year, when he hit a career-high 36 home runs for the Los Angeles Angels. Baltimore acquired the right-handed-hitting outfielder from the Angels for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, hoping Ward would elevate the lineup, particularly against left-handed pitching.

There’s no doubt Ward was impactful. He has a .246 average, a .383 on-base percentage and a .729 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Behind Pete Alonso, Ward accounted for the second-most wins above replacement on the team this season at 2.4, according to Baseball Reference.

Ward has walked a career-high 87 times, but he has notched only seven homers. The lack of long-ball power could be because of the deep left-field wall at Camden Yards. At home, his OPS is .668. On the road, it is .794. His bat may welcome a more friendly home ballpark.

“I think there’s just so much more out there, especially with you know, the slug,” Ward said recently. “Just been a weird year with that. But I think there’s more in the tank with that and just got to figure it out.”

Without Ward in the outfield each day, the Orioles could turn to Tyler O’Neill to take more right-handed at-bats. Heston Kjerstad has done well in Triple-A of late, and he’s an option to add power. Center fielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. is also a call-up candidate.

On Saturday night, Ward said he was used to being in trade deadline discussions while with the Angels, so he wasn’t bothered by speculation.

“I’d love to stay here. I love the guys and the coaching staff, and I like where this organization is heading,” he said. “I’d love to stay, but I understand that, at the end of the day, it’s a business and they have to do what’s best for the team.”