Pittsburgh Pirates Attempting to Acquire Taylor Ward in Trade With Los Angeles Angels

Veteran outfielder Taylor Ward could soon be on the move, as the Los Angeles Angels are reportedly engaged in trade talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Jun 24, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder Taylor Ward (3) is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates are engaged in trade talks with the Los Angeles Angels regarding veteran outfielder Taylor Ward, Paul Zeise of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and 93.7 The Fan reported Wednesday.

According to Zeise, the deal is not yet complete, but the Pirates are attempting to get it over the finish line.

Through 88 games this season, Ward is batting .238 with 14 home runs, 44 RBI, a .737 OPS and a 1.4 WAR. He currently leads the Angels in home runs and RBI, on top of ranking third in slugging percentage and OPS among the club's qualified batters.

Ward has been a member of the Angels' organization since they selected him in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He was pegged as Los Angeles' No. 1 prospect entering 2016, but much of his hype had dissipated by the time he made his big league debut in 2018.

After spending the next few years as a part-time player for the Angels, Ward finally appeared in 135 MLB games in 2022. He hit .281 with 23 home runs, 65 RBI, an .833 OPS and a 3.6 WAR that season.

Ward was limited to 97 games in 2023 after getting hit by a pitch in the head, suffering multiple facial fractures that ended his season in July. He was batting .253 with 14 home runs, 47 RBI, a .756 OPS and a 1.7 WAR before he went down.

Outside of Shohei Ohtani, no Angels player has racked up as many total bases as Ward since the start of 2022.

The Pirates already have two-time All-Star Bryan Reynolds holding down the fort in left field, as well as franchise legend Andrew McCutchen holding a firm grasp on designated hitter duties. Jack Suwinski, and Michael A. Taylor haven't added much offense out of the center field position, though, and primary right fielder Edward Olivares was just optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Joshua Palacios has been solid in right since coming off the injured list, and utility man Connor Joe has logged plenty of innings in the corner outfield spots, but Ward could still be an intriguing addition to the mix regardless.

As relayed by 93.7 The Fan's Andrew Fillipponi, Zeise has mentioned infielder Alika Williams, right-handed pitcher Mitch Jebb and shortstop Mike Burrows as players who could potentially go back to the Angels in exchange for Ward. Jebb and Burrows are currently ranked as the No. 6 and No. 9 prospects in the Pirates' farm system, respectively, while Williams was a fringe top-30 prospect before graduating to the majors.

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