SEATTLE – Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Justin Hollander announced today the Mariners have acquired outfielder Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for right-handed pitcher Alex Hoppe and minor league right-handed pitchers Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling. The Mariners 40-man roster remains at 39 players.
“We are excited to add Taylor to our lineup,” Hollander said. “He has proven to be a consistent performer that is among the very best in the league at getting on base. We are thrilled to be adding a player of his caliber to our team.”
Ward, 32, has appeared in 111 games this season with the Baltimore Orioles, batting .246 (101x410) with 20 doubles, 7 home runs, 30 RBI, 87 walks, a .383 OBP and slugging .346 (.730 OPS). He leads the American League in walks and ranks 6th in on-base percentage. The right-handed hitting outfielder also ranks 4th in the Majors with a 17.2% walk rate. Ward has also been an excellent defender in left field this season, recording 6 defensive runs saved (Sports Info Solutions).
Ward is coming off a 2025 season which saw him record career-highs in home runs (36), doubles (31), RBI (103) and slugging percentage (.475). Since 2021, Ward is batting .250 (658x2,633) with 389 runs, 132 doubles, 6 triples, 113 home runs, 353 RBI, 344 walks, getting on base at a .341 clip and slugging .433 for an .774 OPS and a 116 OPS+. Among right-handed hitters with at least 3,000 plate appearances over that span, he ranks 17th in OPS+ and 11th in OBP.
Ward is a veteran of 9 Major League seasons with the Angels (2018-25) and Orioles (2026). He was originally selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 1st round (26th overall) of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Fresno State (CA).
Hoppe (pronounced ‘hoppy’), 27, has made 24 relief appearances for the Mariners this season, going 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA (18 ER, 28.0 IP) with 34 strikeouts and 11 walks. Hoppe made his MLB debut with Seattle on April 27 this year.
The Davenport, Iowa native was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 6th round of the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of University of North Carolina at Greensboro and was acquired by the Mariners on Nov. 18, 2025 from the Red Sox in exchange for minor leaguer Luke Heyman.
Kreiling (cry-ling), 24, was selected by the Mariners in the 17th round of the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of University of Nebraska Omaha. The 5-foot-11 right-hander did not pitch in 2025, and has made 4 professional starts between the ACL Mariners (3 GS) and Class-A Inland Empire (1 GS) this season, posting a 1.69 ERA (2 ER, 10.2 IP) with 16 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Moore, 26, was selected by the Mariners in the 7th round of the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of University of Oregon.
After posting a 9.64 ERA (20 ER, 18.2 IP) in 25 appearances with High-A Everett last season, the right-hander got off to a hot start with the AquaSox in 2026, recording 4 saves with a 1.13 ERA (2 ER, 16.0 IP) with 32 strikeouts and 3 walks in 13 appearances before earning a promotion to Double-A Arkansas. In 18 appearances with the Travelers, Moore is 3-3 with a 5.56 ERA (14 ER, 22.2 IP) with 35 strikeouts and 17 walks. Moore is ranked as the Mariners #24 prospect according to Baseball America.