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MLBTR Podcast: Some “Classic Baseball Trades,” Nimmo For Semien, And Ward For Rodriguez

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

  • Offseason Preview Megapod: Top 50 Free Agents – listen here
  • Surprising Option Decisions, Qualifying Offers, And Paul DePodesta – listen here
  • Offseason Preview Megapod: Top Trade Candidates – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Angels Notes: Ward, Rodriguez, Bellinger

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The Angels’ trade of outfielder Taylor Ward for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez stands as one of the most notable and most surprising deals of the young offseason. The swap caught Ward himself off guard, as he told Sam Blum of The Athletic, but the outfielder expressed gratitude to the Halos and had nothing but good things to say about his experience with the organization. Ward is a free agent after the season, and he noted to Blum that he’d be open to re-signing in Anaheim if the team shows interest next winter — though obviously a lot can happen between now and then. Said Ward:

“I had a wonderful time being in Anaheim, playing in Anaheim, getting to know the guys and getting to play next to Hall of Fame players too. I’m just very thankful for that time period, and it’s something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”

General manager Perry Minasian said after the trade that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add four years of a viable rotation arm in exchange for one year of Ward, even if there’s severe injury risk with Rodriguez, who hasn’t pitched since July 2024. Via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, Minasian called Rodriguez “a gamble worth taking” and noted that when healthy, the former first-round pick and top prospect “can beat anybody on any given night.”

For the 2026 season, Rodriguez will surely be on some form of innings limit. Between that and the general uncertainty behind Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano in the rotation, the Angels remain in the market for further starting pitching upgrades. They’re also known to be on the hunt for help at third base and in center field. Whatever additions are (or aren’t) made in the outfield will impact any chances of the return referenced by Ward. Jorge Soler is a free agent next offseason. Jo Adell is under club control through 2027.

The free agent market is thin on center fielders, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Angels have at least checked in on the top name available: Cody Bellinger. Given the Halos’ need in center, it’s only natural that they’d perform some due diligence. (It’d almost be more noteworthy to hear that they weren’t planning to at least gauge the price on Bellinger.) Heyman notes that a match between the two parties is viewed as a long shot, which shouldn’t come as a great surprise. Bellinger figures to finally command a nine-figure deal in free agency, likely for five or even six years.

While the Angels have the payroll capacity to make that type of addition — Mike Trout is the only player guaranteed anything beyond the 2027 season — it’s an open question as to whether Bellinger can truly be considered an everyday center fielder anymore. He hasn’t played the position on a full-time basis since 2022 and logged only 306 innings there with the Yankees in 2025.

Bellinger’s sprint speed hasn’t really dipped since that time, but Bellinger still has drawn negative grades from Defensive Runs Saved (-4) and Statcast (-1 OAA) in just over 700 innings of center field work across the past two seasons. He’d certainly be better there than Adell was when forced into the position in ’25 (-13 DRS, -8 OAA), but Bellinger will draw significant interest from contenders who are a cleaner fit — the Yankees certainly among them. After playing on teams with clear postseason aspirations throughout his entire career, he may also be skeptical of joining an Angels club that’s a long shot to contend.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Orioles’ Mike Elias On Rodriguez/Ward Trade, Pitching Search, Non-Tender Decisions

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Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias held a video conference with reporters (including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com) on Friday to discuss both the team’s decisions at the non-tender deadline and several other topics, most notably the major one-for-one swap earlier this week that sent Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels in exchange for Taylor Ward.

The trade represented something of a long-term goal for the front office, as Elias said Ward is “somebody that we’ve been chasing for at least for a couple years, just because of the profile, the big right-handed power.”  Adding Ward brought more balance to a Baltimore lineup that was pretty heavy in left-handed bats, and finally making the move to obtain him now was related to both the Orioles’ needs and broader market conditions.  “I wasn’t confident where else somebody like him would come from on the free agent and trade market right now that has the sort of bat that we think he has and what he did last year,” Elias said.

With this perceived scarcity in mind, the Orioles were ultimately willing to move Rodriguez, which counted as a surprise on many levels.  Injuries have kept G-Rod off a big league mound since July 31, 2024, yet it wasn’t long ago that the former top prospect was viewed as a building block of the Orioles’ rotation.  Rodriguez also isn’t slated for free agency until after the 2029 season, whereas Ward is controlled through just the 2026 season.

Elias cited Ward as a potential qualifying offer candidate heading into free agency, “so that could change that equation a little bit” in terms of “the mismatch in the amount of potential team control.”  But in general, the O’s were ultimately willing to take the risk of moving Rodriguez in order to pry Ward away from Los Angeles.

“It’s uncomfortable to make trades, usually.  It’s hard to line up, and you’re going to give something up,” Elias said.  “That is always going to be difficult and interesting….Grayson’s a great kid.  We loved bringing him up in this organization and rearing him, and he’s got a bright future.  And sometimes, trades are a part of baseball.”

Losing Rodriguez deepens Baltimore’s need for starting pitching, which Elias reiterated as a chief goal of the club’s offseason.  Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, and Cade Povich now line up as the projected starting five, with Brandon Young and Chayce McDermott in the minors as the top depth options.  It’s a group that needed more experience and clear top-of-the-rotation upside even when Rodriguez was still in the fold, and Elias said again that his team is looking at many pitchers, “whether it’s top or front or top half of the rotation, all those buckets.  We’re trying, and there are guys out there and we are in pursuit of every one of them.”

With both the rotation and bullpen as needs, a reunion with swingman Albert Suarez could help on two fronts, and Elias said the Orioles were interested in a reunion even after non-tendering the right-hander yesterday.  “I don’t want to go into details about our decision-making as we approach these tender decisions, but we very much are fans of Albert and we’re very much hoping to continue talking to him, and made that clear to him and his group,” the PBO said.

Suarez is another pitcher looking to rebound from a lost 2025 season, as he tossed only 11 2/3 innings for the Orioles last year.  A right rotator cuff sidelined Suarez for most of the year, and he was also hit by a flexor tendon strain in his right forearm near the end of the season.  The flexor strain was said to be minor enough that surgery didn’t seem necessary, and Suarez was expected to resume a throwing program after a recovery period.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected that Suarez would receive a $900K salary in his first trip through the arbitration process, as Suarez’s earning potential was obviously dampened by his lack of time on the mound in 2025.  Despite that modest salary and the Orioles’ remaining years of control, the team still opted to part ways with Suarez.  It could be that the O’s think they can bring Suarez back at an even lower price tag, or the club may have some misgivings about Suarez’s health situation.

While Elias mentioned the Orioles’ wide-ranging search for pitching, he didn’t directly allude to the possibility of pivoting and now trading a bat for rotation help.  This seemed like a logical avenue for Baltimore to explore heading into the offseason, and the tactic perhaps makes even more sense in the wake of both the Ward trade and the fact that the O’s tendered a contract to Ryan Mountcastle.  Between Mountcastle’s projected $7.8MM arbitration salary, his disappointing 2025 numbers, and a first base picture that also includes Samuel Basallo and Coby Mayo, there was plenty of speculation that the Orioles would just part ways with Mountcastle entirely.

Instead, the O’s kept Mountcastle because “we think he’s a great hitter,” Elias stated, noting that Mountcastle’s production was impacted by a hamstring strain that kept him on the injured list for over two months.  Elias isn’t concerned over any potential roster surplus, as he again pointed to the many injury concerns that helped sink the Orioles’ 2025 season.

“As we lived through last year, you have to worry about depth, too.  This is something that will sort itself out.  I think the main thing is we don’t want to discard a good hitter if we don’t have to, and we want to keep our talent, and these guys are all really promising bats,” Elias said.

Another bat or two might yet join the mix, as Elias said “we are definitely still pursuing upgrades to the lineup.  But I think that Taylor’s presence really solidifies the outfield picture in a way that gives us more flexibility with hunting that next impact bat and where that person plays.”  In terms of specific positions, Elias said the team would like to have more center field depth, even with Colton Cowser and the newly-acquired Leody Taveras currently lined up up the middle.

Grayson Rodriguez Provides Health Update

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Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez said in an interview on the show Foul Territory that he’s “throwing and feeling good” following August surgery to remove bone spurs in his elbow (h/t Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner for reporting on Rodriguez’s comments). The newly minted Angel added that he considered surgery in Spring Training, but decided against it, only for the discomfort to become unbearable. “It got to a point where I was like, ‘I can’t take it.’”

Rodriguez has battled injuries for the majority of his career. He missed the entire 2025 campaign with shoulder and lat issues. He was sidelined for part of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury. A lat strain capped Rodriguez at 17 starts in 2022 and likely pushed his MLB debut back a season.

According to Rodriguez, the bone spurs have been an issue for quite some time. “They’ve been in there for three or four years. This is something that I’ve dealt with for a while, ever since I was in Double-A, Triple-A.” The righty added that the bone spurs seemed to have led to the recurring lat problems, as the muscle was working harder to slow his arm after releasing each pitch.

Los Angeles is betting on better health for Rodriguez. The Angels landed the talented righty in a straight swap for outfielder Taylor Ward earlier this week. Ward is coming off a career-best 36-homer season. He’s been a mainstay in the middle of LA’s lineup for the past four seasons. Ward will be a free agent after 2026, while Rodriguez is under team control through 2029. The trade helped the Angels free up some capital, as Ward is projected to earn $13.7MM in his last year of arbitration.

Rodriguez said he was caught off guard by the move, but is “pumped” to head to his new team. “I didn’t think the Orioles would trade me. But, obviously, the Angels wanted me bad enough, and it’s kind of a cool feeling.”

If the bone spur removal gets Rodriguez back on track from a health perspective, Los Angeles could have their ace of the future. The 26-year-old is just a few years removed from being the top pitching prospect in the league. After scuffling in his first taste of big-league action, he put together a 13-start stretch with a 2.58 ERA to close his rookie season. Rodriguez was on his way to a breakout 2024 before the shoulder injury cut his season short. The righty improved his strikeout rate to 26.5% while cutting his hard-hit rate by 4%. His xFIP (3.57) and SIERA (3.61) backed up his 3.86 ERA.

Rodriguez’s health update is in line with the info relayed by Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias back in September. The executive told reporters that Rodriguez was on track for 2026 Spring Training.

If the righty is indeed good to go for the spring, it’ll mark the first time he’s pitched competitively since July 2024. Rodriguez’s velocity will be important to monitor once he gets back on the mound. He averaged 97.4 mph on his fastball in his rookie season, but that number fell to 96.1 mph in 2024. Rodriguez’s arsenal will also be something to keep an eye on. He threw six different pitches in 2023, but trimmed that to four pitches the following season. Rodriguez ditched the cutter and sweeper in 2024, while throwing the curveball a bit harder and the slider slightly softer.

Rodriguez will slot in behind Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano for the Angels. While Rodriguez’s health will be a main focus, there are plenty more questions to be answered in the rotation. Reid Detmers seems like he’ll get another shot as a starter after putting together a strong season out of the bullpen. Caden Dana and Mitch Farris closed 2025 in the rotation and are candidates for spots, though both had ERAs over 6.00 last year. Prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri, acquired from the Phillies in the Carlos Estevez trade, could also factor into the equation.

Photo courtesy of Tommy Gilligan, Imagn Images

Angels Hoping To Add Center Fielder, Third Baseman

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The Angels crossed one item off their winter to-do list last night, adding some potential rotation help by landing righty Grayson Rodriguez in a trade sending Taylor Ward to the Orioles. There’s still plenty of work to be done. The Halos were known to be seeking at least two starting pitchers this winter, and while Rodriguez technically counts toward that end, he’s coming off a season lost to injury and hasn’t pitched in a big league game since July 2024.  He’s said to be healthy now, but even if that’s the case, the Angels can’t simply pencil him in for 30 starts next year.

Anaheim figures to add at least one more starting pitcher, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, who adds that GM Perry Minasian is also on the hunt for upgrades in center field and at third base. A second base addition hasn’t been squarely ruled out, either. Minasian has already suggested that, all else equal, he’d prefer a new bat in the lineup to be left-handed. Following last night’s trade, he also suggested that moving Ward — and his projected $13.7MM salary — could allow the Angels to swim deeper free agent and/or trade waters.

“It’s not only acquiring somebody we feel like can impact the rotation, but freeing up money to maybe get into areas where we wouldn’t have been able to before,” Minasian said. Rodriguez, notably, is not yet arbitration-eligible and will thus make scarcely more than the league minimum in 2026.

At least one prominent name that fits with the Angels has already come off the board; Trent Grisham, the lefty-swinging center fielder, accepted his qualifying offer and will return to the Yankees next season. The free agent market still includes at least a pair of reasonably affordable names to consider in the infield and in center field: Jorge Polanco and Cedric Mullins. Both hit left-handed — Polanco is a switch-hitter — and both ought to be available for annual rates comparable to, if not lower than what Ward might’ve commanded in free agency.

If the Angels look to take a bigger swing, then Japanese star Munetaka Murakami stands as an option at third base, while Cody Bellinger looms as a viable center field candidate. Neither is a perfect fit. Murakami has significant swing-and-miss issues and is viewed as someone who’ll eventually need to move to first base. The Angels’ 27.1% team strikeout rate was already easily the highest in MLB last year. The Rockies (25.9%) were the only other team north of 25%. Bellinger doesn’t come with those same strikeout concerns (just a 13.7% rate in ’25), but he’s also been more of a part-time center fielder in recent years. He hasn’t played center regularly since 2022 with the Dodgers.

The trade market ought to present other opportunities. Boston’s Jarren Duran has plenty of experience in center field, though he’s primarily played left recently in deference to defensive wizard Ceddanne Rafaela. Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan is no stranger to third base. If the Angels want to follow the Rodriguez mold and add a former top prospect whose stock is down at the moment, someone like D-backs center fielder Alek Thomas or Cardinals third baseman/second baseman Nolan Gorman could likely be had. (Gorman, again, comes with major strikeout concerns, though.)

Whichever path Minasian and his lieutenants opt to pursue, the payroll space should be there. With Ward no longer factoring into next year’s budget, RosterResource projects the Angels for a payroll around $166MM. That’s nearly $50MM shy of last year’s Opening Day mark. They’re also down to one more year of Anthony Rendon’s ill-fated contract. After the 2026 season, the only players guaranteed anything are Mike Trout (signed through 2030) and Yusei Kikuchi (signed only through 2027).

While the Angels’ recent history of long-term deals is checkered at best, there’s room for the club to be aggressive both in terms of offers to free agents and taking on salary in trades. There’s no firm indication yet that they’ll pursue marquee names like Bellinger, Murakami, Alex Bregman, Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Tatsuya Imai, etc. — but there’s also no real reason to think they can’t make competitive bids for at least one free agent from that bunch, based on the current state of the payroll.

Orioles Trade Grayson Rodriguez To Angels For Taylor Ward

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The Orioles have traded right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward. The Angels have also announced the trade. Rodriguez missed the entire 2025 season due to multiple arm injuries. Ward will be a free agent after 2026.

On a day filled with minor deals and roster shuffling, Baltimore and Los Angeles saved the best for last. The Orioles are shipping out one of their most promising arms since the Dylan Bundy/Kevin Gausman era. Rodriguez was electric at times since his 2023 debut, but injuries have marred his career. The 26-year-old was sidelined with shoulder inflammation and a lat strain this past year. A shoulder injury cost him half of the 2024 campaign. Injuries in 2022 limited him to 75 2/3 minor league innings and potentially delayed his big-league debut.

Rodriguez is under team control through 2029. Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias told reporters back in September that the righty was expected to be ready for spring training. Last week, Elias told reporters, including Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner, that Rodriguez “provides a real wild card for us talent-wise.” Elias will now play that card, turning Rodriguez into a year of a dependable power bat.

Ward hit a career-high 36 home runs last season. Since becoming a regular in 2022, the 31-year-old has launched 98 homers with decent plate discipline and fine run production. Ward’s batting average slipped to .228 last season, but his slugging percentage jumped to a career-high .475. He drove in 100+ runs for the first time as a big leaguer, while scoring a career-best 86 times.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Ward to earn $13.7MM in his final year of arbitration. He was a first-round pick by the Angels back in 2015. Ward tore up minor-league pitching at each level, reaching Triple-A by 2018. He slashed a robust .352/.442/.537 with Salt Lake, earning a big-league callup at the end of that season. Ward scuffled in 40 games with the Angels and found himself back with the Bees. He bounced between both levels for a couple of seasons before finally cementing his spot with the big-league club in 2022. Ward broke out with 23 home runs over 135 games with the Halos, finishing his first full MLB season with a .281/.360/.473 slash (136 wRC+).

Ward began his career as a catcher but moved to the corner infield spots as he advanced in the Angels’ system. He played mostly third base in his early MLB years before permanently transitioning to the outfield in 2022. Ward spent some time in center and right field, but he’s played exclusively left field since 2023. He’ll enter an unsettled outfield mix that includes Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, and Leody Taveras. Youngsters Dylan Beavers and Heston Kjerstad will also be involved, though the Ward addition will be another roadblock to consistent at-bats for them.

Ward’s departure leaves the Angels with Jo Adell, Jorge Soler, and some question marks in the outfield. With Mike Trout penciled in at DH, the outfield alternatives include Gustavo Campero, Bryce Teodosio, and Matthew Lugo. Top prospect Nelson Rada could also push for a roster spot. The Angels will be on the lookout for some center field help this winter.

The trade marks a surprising end to Rodriguez’s tenure with the club that selected him 11th overall in 2018. He quickly rose through the minors, with massive strikeout numbers propelling him to the top of prospect lists. MLB.com ranked Rodriguez behind only Adley Rutschman in Baltimore’s system back in 2022, while slotting him at sixth among all prospects. He was the top-ranked pitcher on the board.

Rodriguez did not hit the ground running in the big leagues during his debut in 2023, recording an ugly 7.35 ERA over his first 10 starts. He was sent back to Triple-A to regroup, and returned with a vengeance. The right-hander put up a 2.58 ERA across 13 starts after getting recalled. He cleaned up the control issues that had caused problems in his first stint and did so while striking out nearly a batter per inning. Rodriguez was shelled by the Rangers in the ALDS, but the final three months of the regular season suggested Baltimore had their ace of the future.

The 2024 campaign saw Rodriguez push his strikeout rate to 26.5% while trimming his walk rate to 7.3%. He notched his first double-digit strikeout game in May, striking out 10 against Boston. Rodriguez piled up 13 wins through 20 starts and logged a 3.86 ERA before a shoulder issue ended his season in August. A quality start and victory over Toronto on the final day of July would end up being his last start with the team.

Baltimore’s rotation will be headlined by Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish heading into 2026. Dean Kremer has been a reliable source of innings, but the options are less stable beyond him. Tyler Wells is expected to return to a starting role after returning late last season from UCL surgery. Cade Povich has made 36 starts over the past two seasons, but his career ERA is over 5.00. Brandon Young and Chayce McDermott have also struggled in their limited big-league opportunities. The Orioles have added veterans like Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, and Kyle Gibson in the past two seasons to help eat innings. They could be dipping back into that pool of pitchers to fill out the rotation this offseason.

For the Halos, Rodriguez adds an upside arm to a rotation that’s headlined by Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano but otherwise lacks certainty. Former top prospect Reid Detmers will likely get another look in the rotation, where he’s struggled in the past, after an excellent 2025 season in the bullpen. Caden Dana, Mitch Farris and Sam Aldegheri are options in the fifth spot for now, with prospect George Klassen also looming. As with the O’s, it seems likely that the Angels will add another arm from outside the organization between now and spring training.

From a payroll perspective, the swap gives Anaheim $13-14MM of spending power. Their projected $166MM payroll (via RosterResource) sits nearly $40MM shy of last year’s Opening Day mark. Baltimore’s projected $105MM payroll sits nearly $60MM shy of last year’s Opening Day mark, but the O’s now have an even more acute need for rotation help and fewer resources available to address that need.

Mike Elias Discusses Orioles’ Rotation, Roster

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Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias spoke to the media today, just after the club wrapped up a disappointing 2025 season. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report on what was discussed, with various details at these links.

The rotation was a natural point of focus, with Elias saying the club wants to add a starter to the front half of its rotation, which could be either a #1, a #2 or a #3. Such distinctions are fairly subjective but the point would be to have another guy capable of slotting in next to Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers somewhere in the front half of the rotation. Baltimore starters ranked 24th in the majors with a 4.65 earned run average this year, so bolstering the rotation is a straightforward target.

What will be interesting to monitor is if the club changes its level of aggressiveness. Throughout Elias’s tenure, the club has never given a free agent pitcher a multi-year deal, as shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker. The only time they’ve gone beyond one year for any free agent was Tyler O’Neill’s three-year pact, which had an opt-out after the first season.

Many Baltimore fans were hoping for change last winter, which was the first offseason under new owner David Rubenstein. In November of last year, Elias raised those hopes by saying that the O’s were considering “the whole spectrum” of available players, which included “high-end free agent deals over many years.” But in the end, their rotation adds were fairly modest. They gave a one-year deal to 41-year-old to Charlie Morton and another one-year deal to 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano, who was coming over from Japan and had no major league experience.

As mentioned, the club’s rotation went on to be a big part of their rough 2025 season. The coming weeks and months will eventually shed some light on if they plan to alter the way they go about bolstering the group for 2026.

While Bradish and Rogers are locked into two spots and Elias hopes to bring in another, that still leaves a couple of spots open at the back end. And of course, a modern baseball team never gets through a full 162-game season using just five starters, so various arms of the roster should play important roles. With that in mind, Elias noted that Grayson Rodriguez is expected to be ready for spring training. He also said that Tyler Wells is good with being a starter or a reliever but the club plans on him being a starter.

Rodriguez has shown tremendous promise but is a huge question mark right now. He logged 122 innings in his 2023 rookie season. Ideally, he would have increased his workload in 2024 but shoulder injuries limited him to 116 2/3 frames. In 2025, both elbow and shoulder injuries wiped out his entire season. He started the campaign on the IL due to elbow inflammation. While on the IL for that, a lat strain set him back. In July, the shoulder was apparently fine but the elbow still a problem. He underwent a debridement surgery in August.

While it’s encouraging that he is on track to be ready by spring training, the O’s probably can’t rely on him at this point. Even if he proceeds without setbacks through to the start of next season, the O’s will have to think about his workload after this lost year.

As for Wells, he just came back from a UCL surgery he underwent in 2024. He got back to the majors in time to make four starts with a 2.91 ERA. He now has a solid 3.98 ERA in his career, as well as a 22.8% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate. Those numbers make him a decent rotation candidate next year but he may also have workload limits. Between his rehab work and his big league starts to finish the season, he only logged 47 innings in 2025.

Elias also addressed the club’s catcher situation, saying that Adley Rutschman will be the club’s primary backstop. Rutschman once seemed well establish in that role but his performance has dipped in recent years. He had a .268/.369/.439 batting line through 2023 and was continuing in that fashion through the first half of 2024. However, he appeared to injure his hand when it was struck by a foul ball, which led to a .207/.282/.303 line in the second half of last year.

Ideally, he would have been fully healthy and back on track in 2025 but that didn’t happen. He strained both his right and left oblique at separate times this season and only got into 90 games with a .220/.307/.366 line.

As Rutschman has been struggling, Samuel Basallo has continued to raise his stock. He reached the majors late this season and then the O’s signed him to an eight-year extension. That’s obviously a tremendous vote of confidence but he’s still just 21 years old, has questions about his defense and a .165/.229/.330 line thus far in the big leagues.

Though Basallo has a bright future, it’s understandable that he Rutschman is still ahead of him on the depth chart. Basallo can also play some first base, so perhaps that allows him and Rutschman to co-exist in the lineup, though that could also impact other players like Coby Mayo or Ryan Mountcastle.

Elias also provided a vague update on outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who is seeing doctors due to some unspecified medical condition. Kjerstad didn’t play after the month of July this year with reports of fatigue. His current medical examinations could be related to that fatigue, though that’s mere surmise.

Photo courtesy of Tim Heitman, Imagn Images

Grayson Rodriguez To Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Debridement Surgery

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Orioles right-hander Grayson Rodriguez is done for the year. Manager Tony Mansolino informed reporters today, including Jake Rill of MLB.com, that the righty will undergo an elbow debridement surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. General manager Mike Elias mentioned a few days ago that this was a possible outcome, which is now confirmed. It’s possible Rodriguez will be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

In the short term, the impact for the Orioles is minimal. 2025 is already going to be a lost season for the club. They are 51-61, putting them 8.5 games back of a playoff spot. The front office made a number of sell-side moves ahead of the deadline, flipping out several veterans for prospects.

For the long-term picture, it’s certainly worrisome. While everything is apparently fine with Rodriguez’s ulnar collateral ligament, his recent injury history keeps mounting. In 2023, between the majors and the minors, he tossed 163 1/3 innings. Last year, shoulder problems limited him to 116 2/3 innings. This year, elbow and shoulder problems have wiped out his entire campaign. He started the season on the IL due to elbow inflammation. While on the IL, he suffered a lat strain. By July, the shoulder was fine but the elbow soreness shut him down again. Now he’s going under the knife.

It’s a notable situation for the O’s to monitor. They had hoped for a pairing of Rodriguez and Zach Eflin to be a strong one-two punch atop their rotation this year but that didn’t happen. In addition to the aforementioned injuries for Rodriguez, Eflin also missed time and has a 5.93 earned run average on the year.

Going into next year, Eflin is an impending free agent. That’s also true of Tomoyuki Sugano. The O’s flipped out another impending free agent when they traded Charlie Morton to the Tigers. Going into 2026, the ideal outcome would be for Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish to be at the front of the group. However, Bradish is still recovering from last June’s Tommy John surgery. He has begun a rehab assignment but hasn’t gotten back on a big league mound yet.

Though the O’s will be hoping for comebacks from those two, they are surely aware they can’t rely on those. Bradish only pitched 39 1/3 innings last year. He might be able to come off the IL and make a few more starts down the stretch but won’t be able to shoulder a huge workload. Rodriguez will be coming off a completely lost season. Guys like Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer and Cade Povich will also be in the mix but aren’t front-of-the-rotation type guys.

Perhaps the front office will be motivated to be more aggressive in addressing the rotation this coming winter. A year ago, with new ownership in place, many wondered if the O’s would get aggressive in bolstering their rotation ahead of 2025. Instead, they gave one-year deals to Sugano and Morton, neither of which worked out especially well.

Going into 2026, the club will be looking to put this nightmare season in the rear-view mirror. Doing so with their current rotation mix will be a challenge. That’s especially true with greater uncertainty now surrounding Rodriguez.

Photo courtesy of Tommy Gilligan, Imagn Images

Elias: Elbow Debridement Surgery “On The Table” For Grayson Rodriguez

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Orioles GM Mike Elias is speaking to reporters (including MASN’s Roch Kubatko) in the aftermath of the trade deadline this morning and relayed that the club is still determining a treatment plan for talented right-hander Grayson Rodriguez after he was sidelined by renewed soreness in his elbow in mid-July. While Elias made clear that a reconstructive surgery on Rodriguez’s UCL has been ruled out at this point, he acknowledged the possibility that Rodriguez may need a debridement surgery to remove excess bone from his right elbow. Such a procedure would mean that Rodriguez will not pitch in 2025, but he would be positioned to return in time for the start of the 2026 season. No decisions have been made about that at this point, but Elias suggested that the surgery could happen within the next few days if that’s the direction Rodriguez and the Orioles opt to take.

Rodriguez, 25, has not pitched this season. After being diagnosed with elbow inflammation during Spring Training, he began ramping up in April but was sidelined by a lat strain. He was shut down for weeks due to the lat issue, and when he began working his way back from that the renewed elbow issues once again forced him to sit back down. Now, it appears as though his 2025 season as a whole is in danger. That won’t matter for the Orioles in the short-term, as the club’s 50-59 record leaves them buried in both the AL East and the AL’s Wild Card standings. Even so, it’s a tough setback for a talented hurler who was once the consensus top pitching prospect in the sport.

Rodriguez has made 43 starts in the majors since he debuted in 2023, but no more than 23 starts in a single season. He’s pitched to a roughly league average 4.11 ERA (97 ERA+) in that time, with a 3.80 FIP and a 25.7% strikeout rate. While those results aren’t exactly impressive on paper, Rodriguez has had stretches of dominance including a 2.26 ERA and 2.75 FIP over his final 12 starts of the 2023 campaign. There’s clearly top-of-the-rotation upside baked into Rodriguez’s profile, but in order to develop that potential he’ll need to be healthy enough to get reps in. That makes the possibility of losing the entire 2025 season a frustrating one, but it sounds as though his 2026 campaign is not in danger. Given that the Orioles still hope to compete in the short-term, an injury-marred 2026 season is the most important thing to avoid.

Looking ahead to next year, Rodriguez figures to rejoin the rotation alongside a number of other injured Orioles arms. Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, and Cade Povich are all currently on the injured list but could theoretically contribute at some point this year and certainly figure to be healthy and ready to go for next season. Lefty Trevor Rogers and right-hander Dean Kremer, both currently healthy and in the rotation, are also under control for next year. That group of arms figures to be a big step up over the production veterans on expiring deals like Tomoyuki Sugano, Zach Eflin, and Charlie Morton have offered this season, though the Orioles will still surely need to supplement that group with external talent given the long layoffs virtually every starter in the 2026 rotation will be working their way back from.

Grayson Rodriguez Dealing With Renewed Elbow Soreness

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Grayson Rodriguez has sustained another setback. Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including Danielle Allentuck of The Baltimore Banner) that the right-hander is dealing with more elbow soreness. Rodriguez, who had progressed to throwing bullpen sessions, is being scaled back until he heads for further evaluation next week.

Rodriguez and Zach Eflin were supposed to be the 1-2 pairing at the top of Baltimore’s rotation. Injuries have wrecked both pitchers’ seasons. Rodriguez has been kept off the mound entirely. He was diagnosed with elbow inflammation during Spring Training. When he tried to resume throwing in April, he suffered a lat strain that shut him down for weeks. That was his third such lat/shoulder strain in the past four seasons. Now, it’s the elbow that’s bothering him again.

Allentuck writes that Rodriguez had slightly adjusted his mechanics during his most recent throwing sessions. He raised his arm angle in an effort to take the pressure off the shoulder. It’s not known if that had any effect on his elbow. Regardless, it’s yet another setback for a talented pitcher whose arm continues to give him problems. The O’s will have more information in the coming days.

It’s approaching a full calendar year since Rodriguez’s last MLB appearance. He made his final start of last season on July 31. Lat discomfort cost him the final two months. It’s fair to wonder if he’ll be able to get any major league work this season. Even if this most recent issue turns out to be minor, it’s going to delay his rehab. There are two and a half months remaining and Rodriguez doesn’t seem close to beginning a minor league assignment. The Orioles aren’t likely to be playing meaningful games in September. The former first-round pick and top prospect is under club control for four seasons beyond this one.

Baltimore provided a more encouraging update on Kyle Bradish. The 28-year-old righty will throw a two-inning practice session tomorrow and will then begin a rehab stint (relayed by MLB.com’s Jake Rill). Bradish underwent Tommy John surgery 13 months ago. Pitchers ordinarily can spend up to 30 days on a rehab assignment. That can be extended by as much as 30 days for those coming back from Tommy John surgery. If all goes well, Bradish should be in line to return to the MLB club around the beginning of September. Even if the O’s season is all but over at that point, he’d be able to take a few turns through the rotation in preparation for a hopefully typical offseason.

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