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Nationals' Beltway Rivals Pull Off Shocking Early-Offseason Blockbuster

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Nov 19, 2025 8:52 AM ET

As Washington Nationals fans try to figure out how their team is going to approach things this winter, it didn't take long to see the mindset their Beltway Rivals had.

Announced by both teams on Tuesday night, the Baltimore Orioles revealed they acquired slugging Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward in exchange for right-handed pitcher and projectd ace Grayson Rodriguez.

Despite having multiple high-end outfield prospects and Tyler O'Neill already on their roster, the Orioles were reportedly looking for a consistent power hitter at that position. So they decided to ship out the oft-injured Rodriguez to bring Ward to town, who at one point, was seen as Baltimore's potential No. 1 rotation arm.

We have made the following trade: pic.twitter.com/zDANcSjEEl
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) November 19, 2025

Ward will be a free agent after the upcoming campaign. He's long been mentioned in trade rumors, but the Angels have held onto him throughout offseasons and trade deadlines. The Orioles are also getting him after he put together the best year of his MLB career, with him having hit 36 home runs with 106 RBIs and an OPS+ that was 16 points above the league average mark of 100.

As for Rodriguez, he's going to get a fresh start in Los Angeles. Once considered a top prospect, the 26-year-old had an incredible second half in his debut major league season back in 2023 when he posted a 2.58 ERA across 13 starts.

He carried that over into 2024 where he had a 3.86 ERA across 20 starts. But that's where the injury issues began, as he missed the rest of that campaign after being placed on the 15-day injured list with discomfort in his lat. And after entering this past season with elbow discomfort, he didn't throw a single pitch during the year.

Will This Orioles Trade Put Pressure on Nationals?

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In all likelihood, what Baltimore did will not effect how things are going to operate in Washington. Right now, Paul Toboni and his front office seem to have a long-term plan in place. So even though their Beltway Rivals made an early-offseason splash, they probably don't feel the need to counter.

Instead, the Nationals are going to go about their business the way they see fit. Whether that's by making their own notable trade that involves someone like MacKenzie Gore or CJ Abrams to get building-block pieces back in return or whether they just operate on the margins throughout their first winter in charge isn't clear.

But it's at least interesting to keep an eye on what the Orioles are doing, especially as both teams try to get their rebuilds back on track.