Orioles trade prediction with .748 OPS outfielder would be bad for Phillies, Braves
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The Baltimore Orioles are one of the more interesting teams for the 2026 MLB trade deadline. On one hand, they're 49-52, 9.0 games back in the AL East and 3.0 back in the AL Wild Card. But they just had a seven-game winning streak.
While they lost to the Boston Red Sox Monday night, this Orioles team has the makings of a fringe postseason contender. This status for the Orioles has them both as potential buyers at the deadline or potential sellers. The jury is still out for Baltimore.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale is predicting that the Orioles, amid this uncertainty, will not trade their .748 OPS outfielder Taylor Ward, which would be bad for the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, but a good sign for O's fans.
Orioles predicted not to trade Taylor Ward despite many interested suitors
"Taylor Ward, Baltimore Orioles. This is the type of player the Orioles could get a handsome return for with the lack of power hitters on the market," Nightengale writes. "... Do they give up on him or believe he'll turn it around? Prediction: Staying."
The Orioles could easily become legitimate postseason contenders by the August 3 trade deadline, and keeping Ward would be a no-brainer.
But, they could also falter, fall even further below .500, and be clear sellers. Nightengale is predicting that the Orioles won't falter and instead make up ground, justifying a decision to keep Ward instead of trading him.
Ward has a .748 OPS this season, and he's done so not as a power hitter like normal. Instead, he has an AL-leading 79 walks this season, which is already a career-high.
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His slugging percentage is at just .361, which is a massive drop-off from his .475 mark last year. But, even with less power, Ward has been valuable to the Orioles, posting 2.2 bWAR in 100 games this season.
That lackluster slugging percentage won't be an issue for teams around baseball, as right-handed hitters with even decent offensive production are hard to come by. He'd be a huge pickup for teams like the Phillies or Braves.
But Nightengle is predicting the Orioles won't trade him, leaving the fans of those potentially interested teams in Ward looking elsewhere. But, for Orioles fans, this prediction would likely mean this team is contending, which would be some great news.
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