The Baltimore Orioles on Monday agreed to trade outfielder Taylor Ward to the Seattle Mariners for a trio of young right-handed pitchers.
MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo was first to report Baltimore was getting Alex Hoppe, Harrison Kreiling, and Brock Moore, in return Of the three, Hoppe, 27 is major-league ready, having appeared in 24 games out of the Mariners bullpen this season.
Ward, who played leftfield and batting leadoff for most of this season for the Orioles, hasn't matched the power that made him a 36-homer hitter in 2025 with the Angels, but he's still getting on base, which made him an appealing right-handed "professional at-bat" rental for a contender needing outfield depth. With other outfield options, the O's didn't have much incentive to keep the pending free-agent Ward around, after acquiring him in a trade that sent Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels in the offseason.
Multiple teams were reportedly interested in Ward, who addressed his future in Baltimore on Saturday after a 5-0 loss to Philadelphia.
"At this point, it is what it is. I’d love to say here. I love the guys, love the coaching staff, love the direction the team is headed," Ward told reporters in the Orioles' clubhouse on Saturday, "but I understand at the end of the day, it’s a business and they got to do what’s best for the team.”
Hoppe could be part of the Orioles bullpen right away. He is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA in 28 innings, with 11 walks and 34 strikeouts in the 24 appearances with the Mariners this season. He also has a 2.65 ERA (5 ER/17.0 IP) in 15 games with Triple-A Tacoma. The right-hander from Davenport, Iowa, originally drafted by the Red Sox, made his MLB debut with Seattle earlier this season on April 27.
We have made the following trade: pic.twitter.com/Qz2lOeDF7K
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 3, 2026
Moore and Kreiling figure to be development projects.
Moore, 26, is 4-5 with four saves and a 3.72 ERA (16 ER/38.2 IP) with 23 hits (3 HR), 22 total runs, 20 walks, one hit batter, and 67 strikeouts in 31 appearances between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas this season. The Indianapolis, Ind. native was selected by Seattle in the seventh round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Oregon. He was rated the No. 24 Mariners prospect according to Baseball America.
Kreiling, 24, recorded a 1.69 ERA (2 ER/10.2 IP) on five hits (1 HR), one walk, and 16 strikeouts across four starts in his professional debut in 2026 between the ACL Mariners and Single-A Inland Empire. The Omaha, Neb. native was selected by Seattle in the 17th round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.