The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Angels are negotiating a trade that would send outfielder Taylor Ward from Anaheim to Pittsburgh, according to Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and 93.7 FM The Fan. Although the deal isn’t finalized yet, Zeise notes that Pittsburgh is working hard to complete the trade.
Strengthening their outfield is a logical move for the Pirates, who are in the NL wild-card race but have had poor outfield production overall. Bryan Reynolds is having an exceptional season (.280/.344/.486, 17 homers, 131 wRC+), but the rest of the outfielders have struggled. Despite Reynolds’ stellar performance, Pirates outfielders collectively have a .225/.297/.357 batting line, resulting in an 84 wRC+, meaning they have been 16% worse than the league average at the plate. Players like Jack Suwinski (.187/.269/.349), Michael A. Taylor (.202/.259/.274), and Edward Olivares (.216/.285/.324) have particularly underperformed, and while Connor Joe has been league-average overall, he hasn’t hit well when playing in the outfield (.205/.292/.270).
Ward, 30, would bring stability to a corner outfield position alongside Reynolds. Although his 2024 season hasn’t been his best, he is still hitting .238/.321/.417 (107 wRC+) with 14 home runs. Since his breakout in 2021, Ward has maintained a .259/.340/.441 slash line with good defensive ratings, especially in left field. While his speed is below average, limiting his range, he compensates with a strong and accurate arm.
Ward is a practical choice for the budget-conscious Pirates. He earns a reasonable $4.8M in 2024 and remains under team control for two more seasons beyond this year. Even with expected raises in arbitration for 2025 and 2026, his salary is not likely to become unmanageable, making him an attractive target for Pittsburgh, which currently lacks a top-ranked outfield prospect but boasts a wealth of young pitching talent forming a competitive core.
Although the Angels are generally hesitant to trade players with control beyond the current season, this could be a negotiating stance. The Pirates might find Ward so valuable that they make an offer the Angels can’t refuse, even if their preference is to trade only rental players. The substantial nature of these talks, despite being three weeks from the deadline, indicates that Pittsburgh might be willing to part with significant assets to acquire Ward.
