O's trade Ward to Mariners for 3 pitchers; deal RHP Wells to Rays

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 moves his front office has since made have subtracted from the big league roster.

Monday’s blockbuster move was the Adley Rutschman trade -- a deal that sent the star catcher and fellow backstop Jake Rogers to the Red Sox in exchange for a trio of top prospects and catcher Carlos Narváez. But Baltimore stayed busy with seller-type moves throughout the day.

The O’s traded outfielder Taylor Ward to the Mariners in exchange for three right-handed pitchers. They’re also sending right-handed reliever Tyler Wells to the Rays for right-handed pitching prospect Michael Forret (TB No. 8 prospect).

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

The moves 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 trade with the Angels 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.

TRADE DETAILS
Orioles recieve: RHP Michael Forret (Tampa Bay’s No. 8 prospect)
Rays recieve: RHP Tyler Wells

Wells had been a stalwart on Baltimore’s pitching staff since getting selected by the club during the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, taken from Minnesota’s farm system. The 31-year-old right-hander had a 3.79 ERA in 142 games (50 starts) over six MLB seasons.

Though Wells has experience as both a starter and reliever, he has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen this year, recording a 2.67 ERA over 43 outings.

Forret was the Orioles’ 14th-round Draft pick in 2023, before he got traded to the Rays as part of the return for right-hander Shane Baz this past Dec. 19. The 22-year-old reached Triple-A for the first time this year, recording a 4.89 ERA over nine starts for Durham.