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Ward agreed to a one-year, $12.175 million contract with the Orioles on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
The 32-year-old will receive a raise of over $4 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility after being traded from the Angels to the Orioles in November. Ward batted just .228 across 157 games in 2025 but set career highs with 36 home runs, 103 RBI and 86 runs.
The Angels traded Ward to the Orioles on Tuesday in exchange for Grayson Rodriguez.
Ward enjoyed one of the best seasons of his MLB career in 2025, posting a .792 OPS while setting new career highs with 36 homers, 103 RBI and 86 runs scored over 157 games. With the 31-year-old slugger due to enter free agency next offseason, the Angels will send him to Baltimore, where Ward figures to remain an everyday starter in the outfield while injecting the lineup with a bit of additional power.
Ward is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.
The Angels have been easing up Ward's workload while the season winds down, as he'll hit the bench for the second time in four games. Unless he ends up being used as a reserve Sunday, Ward will wrap up his eighth big-league campaign with a .228/.317/.476 slash line, 36 home runs, four stolen bases, 103 RBI and 86 runs in 156 games.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Getting break Thursday
Rotowire
Ward isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Kansas City, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Ward has gone 10-for-27 (.370) with five homers during his seven-game hitting streak, and he'll now get a chance to rest his legs while Chris Taylor starts in left field Thursday.
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