Reddit AMA: O's reporter Jake Rill chats Rodriguez-Ward trade, starting pitching & more

On Wednesday, Orioles beat reporter Jake Rill held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with fans at r/orioles. This mailbag features questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here. Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Did anyone on the beat have an inkling that Grayson Rodriguez was on the trade block, or were you all as surprised as we were?

Even accounting for Grayson’s injury concerns, it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around a pitching-needy team trading four years of a pitcher for one year of a right-handed corner outfielder. So, I’m curious if you know of anything else happening behind the scenes that would help this trade make more sense. -- u/wompwump

I can only speak for myself, but I was quite surprised. I would imagine others were as well. I felt president of baseball operations Mike Elias’ comments about Rodriguez at the General Managers Meetings last week in Las Vegas were fair -- how it’d be hard to plan around Rodriguez and hedge on him pitching a ton of innings in 2026, given the extended absence -- but he still spoke as if Rodriguez could be a big part of the team’s future.

Everybody knows how good Rodriguez can be, but it’s also quite possible he’ll never reach his full potential at this point. If he can stay healthy, maybe he will, and perhaps he’ll finally become the ace that the O’s have long thought he could be.

But there’s no doubt the trade makes the Orioles better in 2026 -- and they’re trying to win in 2026. Rodriguez wasn’t going to pitch anywhere close to a full starter’s workload of innings. Taylor Ward can slug and boosts the middle of the order, while also helping to alleviate some of the offense’s recent struggles (the lack of production against left-handed pitching and hitting with runners in scoring position).

Ward is more of a sure thing than Rodriguez, even if it’s only for a quarter of the time. But I think the O’s must go out and significantly upgrade their long-term rotation group now for this move to make the most sense.

Is ‘25 Taylor Ward equivalent to ‘24 Anthony Santander? Guy works hard and has a career year, fans fall in love, but regression is inevitable. Grayson has a higher ceiling at a more premium position. -- u/Jazzlike-Monk-4465

I’ll start with your Rodriguez comment first -- I agree that he has a higher ceiling. But there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding whether he’ll get there. It’s unlikely to be in 2026, considering the right-hander probably won’t pitch a ton of innings after missing an entire season (and more).

As for the Ward/Santander comparison, I think they’re slightly different players. Ward could repeat his production, largely because his chase rate (20.7%), walk rate (11.3%) and barrel rate (13.7%) were all in the 82nd percentile or better -- and all better than Santander in 2024.

A lot of the advanced numbers on Ward were stronger in 2024, even if he didn’t hit as many homers or drive in as many runs as he did in ‘25.

Is regression possible? Sure, that’s the case for plenty of players. But I think there are reasons to believe he’ll be a quality hitter again in 2026, and that’s what the Orioles are hoping for.

Do you think that the Orioles will actually go after a big starting pitcher deal? -- u/Duudze

As my colleague Mark Feinsand said on MLB Network on Wednesday, "They need to."

It's always going to be hard to outbid teams like the Yankees, Dodgers or Phillies if they get involved. And it wouldn't be surprising if clubs like that go after the best starting pitchers available on the free-agent market.

But I think the O's find a way to get at least one marquee free-agent starter this winter. There's an urgency to win now, and they're likely going to want to be aggressive. The ownership group is willing to spend. The rotation clearly needs a boost.

Could they make a trade like they did for Corbin Burnes in 2024? Sure. That's possible as well. However, it would not surprise me if they finally land a big starter in free agency. It's the team's biggest need, especially after trading Rodriguez.

Does the Ward move take them out of the running for another bat? Seems like the only fit now would be a first baseman. Do you think they’re really kicking tires on Kyle Tucker and Pete Alonso? -- u/Loud-Good-7355

I would think it makes the O’s less likely to make a significant position-player addition, yes. As you alluded to, the outfield mix seems full now, assuming they’re good with Colton Cowser (and a bit of Leody Taveras) handling center.

The guys you mentioned will cost a lot of money, and I’d imagine the Orioles would rather use those resources to upgrade their pitching staff, which is a much larger area of need (especially now).