{"id":79588,"date":"2024-07-10T15:51:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T19:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=79588"},"modified":"2024-07-10T15:51:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T19:51:09","slug":"pirates-trade-angels-taylor-ward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/10\/pirates-trade-angels-taylor-ward\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Pirates Discussing Trade for Angels Outfielder"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly discussing a possible trade for Los Angeles Angels outfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wardta01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taylor Ward<\/a>, per Paul Zeise of the <em>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Being told the Pirates are in on Taylor Ward from the Angels<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Paul Zeise (@PaulZeise) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PaulZeise\/status\/1811063556848099776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 10, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The rumor comes one day after a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/09\/pirates-no-room-to-increase-payroll\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">report<\/a> that Pirates front office employees were \u201cfurious\u201d over remarks by owner Bob Nutting in June. That report stated that Nutting had misled the public into believing that the Pirates had room to add to their payroll at the trade deadline while telling his front office the opposite. Team president Travis Williams and general manager Ben Cherington have pushed back on that report. They say the money has been authorized to make additions to the team.<\/p>\n<p>None of this meshes with Cherington\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/01\/pirates-activate-bart-cherington-comments\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">recent comments<\/a> about looking toward \u201cinternal improvement\u201d as opposed to trades. Rather than try to cut through all this hash, let\u2019s deal with facts. How close the Pirates are to making a deal and their chances of completing a deal are unknown. But we know they\u2019re talking.<\/p>\n<h2>Pirates Discussing Trade for Taylor Ward<\/h2>\n<p>So, let\u2019s consider what a deal for Ward would mean for the Pirates. The Angels are in fourth place in the American League West Division with a 37-54 record after 91 games. They\u2019re twelve games out of first place and 13 1\/2 games out of the wild card race. Baseball experts contend that the Angels should be <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/06\/27\/los-angeles-angels-sell-trade-deadline\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">sellers<\/a> at the trade deadline. Ward would be one of their <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/06\/30\/taylor-ward-trade-sense-angels\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">most desirable commodities<\/a>. The 30-year-old is hitting .238\/.321\/.417, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, and 105 OPS+. He\u2019s played left field all season long but has major league experience at all three outfield spots and third base.<\/p>\n<p>If Ward\u2019s average doesn\u2019t exactly conjure up thoughts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willite01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ted Williams<\/a>, note that as of this writing, there are only 11 major league qualifiers who are hitting .300 in 2024. His home run total would tie him with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cruzon01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oneil Cruz<\/a> for second place on the Pirates. He\u2019s just two years removed from his best season. In 2022, he hit .281\/.360\/.473, 23 HR, 65 RBI, and 134 OPS+. He doesn\u2019t grade out highly defensively. However, he has a strong arm and should be more than adequate to patrol PNC Park\u2019s cozy right field.<\/p>\n<p>Ward is signed for $4.8 million for 2024. He becomes arbitration-eligible in 2025 and free-agent-eligible in 2027. He\u2019ll surely be due raises in each subsequent year, but not enough to bust the Bucs\u2019 payroll budget.<\/p>\n<h3>Where Ward Fits<\/h3>\n<p>If the Pirates pull off a trade for Ward, right field would be his best fit. All-Star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reynobr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bryan Reynolds<\/a> is firmly entrenched in left field. Despite the subpar production, the Pirates are getting from their center-field platoon combination, they seem committed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/suwinja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jack Suwinski<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/taylomi02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael A. Taylor<\/a>. Suwinski, at least, is hitting like his old self, with two home runs in his last five games.<\/p>\n<p>With Ward being a right-handed hitter, that would seem to limit the path <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/o\/olivaed02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Edward Olivares<\/a> has to return to the Pirates after being <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/09\/pirates-priester-up-olivares-down\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">sent to Triple-A Indianapolis<\/a> this week. The guy who would be squeezed out of some playing time might be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/palacjo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joshua Palacios<\/a>. He\u2019s added a spark to his offense since <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/05\/pirates-palacios-taylor\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">rejoining the team<\/a> recently and is a favorite of manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/teams\/PIT\/2024.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derek Shelton<\/a>. Of course, he could always force his way into a platoon situation with Ward. Palacios might even get a look in center field.<\/p>\n<h3>What It Might Take<\/h3>\n<p>What would the Angels want in return if they traded Ward to the Pirates? The Angels should be looking at adding some prospects to their organization. The Pirates say they\u2019d be willing to deal from their surplus of prospects. Before the season, mlb.com ranked the Angels\u2019 system 30th out of the 30 major league teams. The Pirates\u2019 system, on the other hand, ranked ninth.<\/p>\n<p>Some baseball sites have posited that Cherington would be willing to part with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=johnso008ter&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Termarr Johnson<\/a> in a deal for an outfield bat. Johnson is the Pirates\u2019 No. 2 prospect. Johnson is a second baseman and the Pirates\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/termarr-johnson-picked-4th-by-pirates-in-2022-mlb-draft\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">No. 1 draft pick<\/a> in the 2022 June Amateur Draft. He will be at the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/02\/pirates-chandler-johnson-futures-game\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Futures Game<\/a> on Saturday. The guess here is that Cherington won\u2019t part with Johnson under any circumstances. Given the patience Cherington has shown with other players he\u2019s drafted in the first round, i.e., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davishe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Henry Davis<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gonzani01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Gonzales<\/a>, it would be uncharacteristic of him to surrender Johnson, who\u2019s performing well in the minors.<\/p>\n<p>Where the Angels\u2019 system is lacking is in the area of left-handed pitching. They have just one lefty hurler among their top 30 prospects in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=texido000fra&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Francis Texido<\/a>. He is presently at Single-A San Bernadino and is projected to arrive in the majors in 2028.<\/p>\n<p>The Pirates might offer from their surplus of left-handed pitching prospects. These include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=solome000ant&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Solometo<\/a> (their No. 3 prospect), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=barco-000hun&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hunter Barco<\/a> (No. 12), and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=kenned004mic&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Kennedy<\/a> (No. 13). Perhaps one or more of these would entice the Angels. If the Pirates get a trade for Ward done, it will excite their fan base as the Bucs make their wild card push.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo: \u00a9 Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly discussing a possible trade for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward, per Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Being told the Pirates are in on Taylor Ward from the Angels \u2014 Paul Zeise (@PaulZeise) July 10, 2024 The rumor comes one day after a report that Pirates front office employees [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5010,"featured_media":79606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1071],"tags":[4993,3215,1374,4875,5720,6318,156,3605,4200,5779],"class_list":["post-79588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pirates","category-mlb","tag-anthony-solometo","tag-ben-cherington","tag-bryan-reynolds","tag-henry-davis","tag-jack-suwinski","tag-josh-palacios","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-nick-gonzales","tag-taylor-ward","tag-termarr-johnson"],"modified_by":"Matt Graves","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}