Phillies get 40% trade update on Orioles .756 OPS Adolis Garcia replacement originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies are in dire need of outfield help this season, as they already had a huge need for a right-handed outfielder before the Adolis Garcia injury.
Now, with the $10 million slugger likely done for the rest of the regular season, the Phillies must find a way to upgrade their outfield this summer in a trade.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan linked the Phillies to a few outfield options, one of which is Baltimore Orioles .756 OPS righty slugger Taylor Ward, who happened to receive a 40% chance of being traded this season, which isn’t terrible for the Phillies.
Phillies linked to Taylor Ward with 40% trade odds
“Chance of being traded: 40%,” Passan and McDaniel write. “Best fits: Guardians, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Padres, Rangers, Braves, Rays, Marlins.”
With the Phillies huge need for a right-handed hitting outfielder, the link to Ward is not a surprise. He’s a lot more feasible of a trade target than Mike Trout for the Phillies.
He’s a one-year rental, meaning his price tag in a trade shouldn’t be too high for the Phillies, or any team showing interest in the Orioles outfielder.
Baltimore might end up selling some players like Ward, who will hit free agency after the 2026 season comes to a close, as it’s a better use of resources than letting him hit free agency.
MORE: Phillies extending Cristopher Sanchez to his $107 million deal was genius
For this Phillies team, in finding a replacement for Garcia, they need someone like Ward. He is 32 years old and a free agent after the 2026 season.
This year, he’s posted 1.8 bWAR in 73 games. Across an AL-most 336 plate appearances, Ward has a .257 batting average and a .756 OPS with a 117 OPS+.
While that’s not anything overly special, it’s a huge step-up from the Phillies current right-handed hitting outfield options.
Dave Dombrowski and company need to add a righty hitting outfield this summer, and Ward, the Orioles outfielder with a 40% chance of being traded, is a great target.
More MLB news:
- 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker’s breakout for Cardinals
- Ex-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 success
- Tarik Skubal being traded by Tigers would help him in free agency
- Cubs’ cost to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers revealed by ex-MLB GM
- Yankees’ Ryan McMahon problem has a $25 million release solution
