Taylor Ward is on the move again.
After playing for one team the first eight years of his career, Ward will now join his third team in less than a year as, according to reports, he has been traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Seattle Mariners on Monday, the day of the Major League Baseball trade deadline.
Ward, the Shadow Hills High School grad, who was traded to the Orioles in the offseason after eight years with the Angels, will now move to Seattle as Baltimore has had a subpar year and has become a seller at the trade deadline.
Ward, an outfielder, has had a mixed year with the Orioles. On the plus side he leads the lead in walks, but his power output is way down. His 87
walks and 506 plate appearances both lead the league, showcasing his plate discipline and reliability in the lineup, but he only has seven home runs in 2026, a year after hitting 36 for the Angels last year.
Reportedly, the Mariners are sending right-handers Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore and Harrison Krieiling to the Orioles,. Hoppe debuted this season and has posted a 5.79 ERA in 24 games with Seattle. Moore and Kreiling are both Minor Leaguers.
Ward is the most prolific MLB player to come from a Coachella Valley High School. He has played in 815 Major League games since his debut 2018.
He will join a Mariners team that is two games out of the final playoff spot in the American League.
The trade deadline ends at 3 p.m. today.
Desert Major Leaguers
These are the nine players who have graduated from a desert high school and gone on to play in the major leagues (in order of number of games played through Aug. 2, 2026):
- Taylor Ward (815 games): Shadow Hills grad, outfielder with Los Angeles Angels 2018-2025, Orioles 2026
- Jeremiah Estrada (180 games): Palm Desert grad, pitcher with the Cubs 2022-2023, Padres 2024-present
- Brian Serven (108 games): Palm Desert grad, catcher with the Colorado Rockies 2022-2023, Blue Jays 2024, Athletics 2026
- Tyson Miller (74 games): Shadow Hills grad, pitcher with the Cubs in 2020, Rangers in 2022, Brewers, Dodgers and Mets in 2023, Mariners and Cubs in 2024-2025
- Chris Clapinski (70 games): Palm Desert grad, infielder with the Marlins 1999-2000
- Tony Perezchica (69 games): Palm Springs grad, infielder with the Giants and Indians 1988-1992
- Travis Adams (42 games): Palm Desert grad, pitcher with Twins in 2025-Present
- Brooks Kriske (38 games): Palm Desert grad, pitcher with the Yankees 2020-21, Orioles in 2021 and Royals in 2023 and Twins in 2025, A's 2026
- Anthony Claggett (3 games): Palm Springs grad, pitcher with the Yankees and Pirates in 2009
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Taylor Ward on the move again as Baltimore trades the Shadow Hills grad
