BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JULY 12: Taylor Ward #3 of the Baltimore Orioles runs the bases against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 12, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (G Fiume / Getty Images)
The Seattle Mariners acquired right-handed outfielder Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for right-handed relievers Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling in a deal ahead of Monday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.
Ward, 32, leads the American League in walks with 87 and has a career-high .383 on-base percentage this season with Baltimore. Randy Arozarena (.373) is the only Mariners hitter with an OBP over .330 this season. Ward had career-highs in home runs (36), doubles (31), RBI (103) and slugging percentage (.475) last year with the Los Angeles Angels.
"We are excited to add Taylor to our lineup," general manager Justin Hollander said in a statement. "He has proven to be a consistent performer that is among the very best in the league at getting on base. We are thrilled to be adding a player of his caliber to our team."
Ward's addition helps give the Mariners a serviceable right-handed bat to help them against left-handed pitching, which has been a problem area for the team this year. The offseason signing of Rob Refsnyder has not worked out as he's managed to hit only .140 with a .465 OPS in 53 games played. Seattle has the second-worst OPS (.650) in the league against left-handed pitching, with only ALCS opponent Toronto being worse this year.
Ward is a rental acquisition for Seattle as his contract expires at the end of the season. Ward was in his first season with Baltimore after playing eight years for the Angels. He's been a fairly consistent contributor over the last five seasons.
Ward has played in 30 games at T-Mobile Park during his time with the Angels and Orioles and has struggled to hit in Seattle. He's a career .195 hitter with six walks and 35 strikeouts in 127 plate appearances, with a lone double as his only extra-base hit. However, Ward will not have to face Mariners' pitching now that he's joining the team.
Ward was a first-round pick of the Angels in 2015 when Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto was the Angels general manager.
Hoppe, 27, has made 24 appearances with the Mariners this season as he's bounced between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma. He had a 5.79 ERA with 11 walks and 34 strikeouts in his time with Seattle after making his MLB debut with the team on April 27.
Moore, 26, was a seventh-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft for the Mariners and has pitched for Single-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas this season. He was promoted after 13 appearances with Everett, where he had a 1.13 ERA with three walks and 32 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. With Arkansas, he made 18 appearances with a 5.56 ERA with 17 walks and 35 strikeouts in 22 ⅔ innings pitched.
Kreiling, 24, was a 17th-round pitch in the 2024 MLB Draft and has pitched in the Arizona Complex League and with Single-A Inland Empire.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Seattle Mariners and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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