Potential trade target: Taylor Ward
The Royals have had interest in Ward before.
Other teams are expecting the Royals to be very active this offseason as they were last year. The top priority has been the offense, which went into a funk late in the year and lacked depth in the lineup.
According to Royals beat reporter Anne Rogers, the Royals have “checked in on” Angels outfielder Taylor Ward, “but nothing has progressed deeply yet.” The Royals were reportedly interested in Ward over the summer but the Angels asking price then was said to be very high. Ward hit very well down the stretch, batting .284/.353/.482 in the final two months. He ended the season with a line of .246/.323/.426, posting the lowest on-base percentage of his career, but also a career-high in home runs with 25.
Ward has a 9.4 percent career walk rate, and he has one of the lowest swing rates in baseball. But that also means he has one of the highest called-strike rates at 29 percent. His strikeout rate spiked this year to 24.6 percent and he was ninth in the American League with 163 strikeouts. He hits lefties very well, with a line of .325/.377/.496 against them this year. Ward is an average defender in left field and a below-average baserunner.
The Angels have two years of club control left with Ward, so they can afford to hang onto him if they want. He is projected to earn over $9 million through arbitration next year, with a bigger bump in pay in his final year of arbitration, so he’s not cheap. He’s also not young. Ward was a late bloomer and will turn 31 in a few weeks. Hitters tend to decline in their 30s - the Royals are witnessing this with Hunter Renfroe.
A good comp trade might be the Nationals’ trade of Lane Thomas trade last summer to the Guardians, where they netted pitcher Alex Clemney and infielders Jose Tena and Rafael Ramirez - all of whom were generally ranked in the top 20 of the Cleveland farm system, but not top 10. That deal was seen as an overpay by the model at Baseball Trade Value, but was roughly the value they have for Ward now.
The Royals have a surplus of catching depth they could deal from, which could make Ramon Ramirez expendable. Drew Beam was a pitcher selected in the third round of the 2024 draft that could move quickly through the system. Nick Loftin is an MLB-ready infielder that seems to be bypassed in Kansas City in favor of veterans, but could be a useful utility infielder for the Angels.
The Angels are in a weird spot where they should be completely rebuilding, but instead they seem to be retooling by acquiring veterans like Jorge Soler and Travis d’Arnaud, so it’s hard to say whether this meets what they are looking for. But it is a deal that would infuse them with some talent without depriving the Royals of their top talent.
How Ward would fit with the Royals is also a question. JJ Picollo seemed to imply they don’t want to give up on MJ Melendez, but the team could clearly use an offensive upgrade in the outfield. The team seems to like Kyle Isbel’s glove in center field, and they are a bit stuck with Hunter Renfroe and his $7.5 million salary in right. They could make room for Ward by subjecting Melendez to more of a reserve/DH role, or he could be used as a trade asset to fill other needs.
The Angels have been one of the most active teams early on this off-season, but their moves have been head-scratching. It’s unclear what they will do with Ward and how much they’ll ask from teams calling for him. But if he can produce the way he has the last few seasons, he would immediately become of the best bats in the Royals lineup if they acquired him.