Orioles' 80-walk outfielder is 'safer bet' to be traded than Adley Rutschman
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Orioles' 80-walk outfielder is 'safer bet' to be traded than Adley Rutschman originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Baltimore Orioles are fighting for a postseason spot this season, but there is a real scenario in which they fall back a bit and into a selling mode by the trade deadline.
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August 3 is the deadline for all trades this season, and if the Orioles are too far back in the AL Wild Card, they could sell. They have a few very interesting options that could be dealt with, and Adley Rutschman, amid the Samuel Basallo deal, could be a trade option.
However, Chad Jennings of The Athletic believes that the "safer bet" to be traded by the Orioles this summer than Rutschman would be their 80-walk outfielder in former Los Angeles Angels veteran Taylor Ward.
Taylor Ward is a 'safer bet' to be traded than Adley Rutschman
"It would be more fun to predict an Adley Rutschman trade, but Ward is a safer bet as an impending free agent," Jennings writes.
While the Orioles might not even be sellers this summer, if they are parting with veterans at the deadline for cash and prospect packages, Ward is much more likely to be dealt than Rutschman.
There are a few reasons why this is the case, but the most obvious one is that the Orioles don't have to decide on Rutschman's future with the team this season.
Unlike Ward, who will be a free agent after the 2026 season comes to a close, Rutschman will still be under club control through the 2027 season, giving them an extra year for a decision.
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It's not a significant amount of time, which is why there is even a semblance of a chance he's dealt this season, but Rutschman is not nearly as pressing an issue for Baltimore.
Ward, who is hitting free agency after 2026, is a lot more important to figure out. Trading him to a contender like the Philadelphia Phillies or Atlanta Braves would make a lot of sense.
The prospect package for Ward, who has 80 walks this season (most in the AL), and a .746 OPS with 2.4 bWAR, would be fairly strong, even as a rental.
Of course, the Orioles would only trade Ward if they fall out of the race over the next week or so. But, in such a scenario, the Orioles player most likely to be dealt this summer would be Ward.
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