O's trade Ward to Mariners for 3 pitchers

BALTIMORE -- Although Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said last Friday that his club would be neither buyers nor sellers ahead of Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, the first two moves his front office has made since have subtracted from the big league roster.

Baltimore is trading outfielder Taylor Ward to Seattle in exchange for three right-handed pitchers, the O's announced on Monday.

TRADE DETAILS
Orioles get: RHP Alex Hoppe, RHP Harrison Kreiling and RHP Brock Moore
Mariners get: OF Taylor Ward

The move came three days after the Orioles (54-58, only 2 1/2 games back of the third American League Wild Card spot) traded right-hander Dean Kremer to the Twins.

Hoppe is the most experienced pitcher among the three acquired by the O’s. The 27-year-old right-hander had a 5.79 ERA in 24 relief appearances for Seattle this season. A sixth-round pick of the Red Sox in 2022, Hoppe was traded to the Mariners last November after not getting above Triple-A in Boston’s system.

Moore, 26, was Seattle’s seventh-round pick in 2024. He had a 1.13 ERA in 13 relief outings for High-A Everett this year, but he struggled upon getting promoted to Double-A Arkansas, posting a 5.56 ERA over 18 appearances.

Kreiling, 24, was selected by the Mariners in the 17th round of the 2024 Draft. He didn’t make his professional debut until this year, as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. The righty had a 2.08 ERA in three starts in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, then tossed two scoreless innings in his debut for Single-A Inland Empire last Tuesday.

With Ward set to hit free agency after the season, the Orioles opted to move him rather than try to keep him long term. They acquired the 32-year-old in a 1-for-1 trade with the Angels in exchange for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez last Nov. 19.

Ward hit .246 with 20 doubles, seven home runs, 30 RBIs, a career-high 87 walks and a .729 OPS over 111 games for Baltimore.