Good Morning Birdland,

If you went to bed at a decent time last night, you may have missed one of the more surprising Orioles moves I can recall. The O’s are trading Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels in exchange for outfielder Taylor Ward.

Independent of one another, the two pieces of this deal make sense.

Rodriguez is a huge question mark. He hasn’t played in an MLB game since July 2024, has had recurring shoulder problems, and began experiencing elbow trouble while rehabbing last summer. It is unclear if/when he actually expects to be ready for a big league return. Could he miss all or most of 2026? It feels like it’s on the table, and that’s something this year’s Orioles team probably can’t wait on.

Ward addresses several needs the Orioles had coming into the offseason. He’s right-han

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