Royals must act fast in outfield search after top trade target gets dealt to Orioles

The Kansas City Royals were dealt a bit of blow in their search for outfield reinforcements early Tuesday evening after Trent Grisham was taken off the market when he accepted his qualifying offer from the Yankees.

Now, it wasn't the end of the world, as Grisham, being a left-handed hitting center fielder, didn't exactly fit the corner outfield mold the Royals desire this winter.

That being said, one name who did fit that description to a T was Taylor Ward and the Royals had already been tied to him in the early stages of the offseason.

But unfortunately for Kansas City, the early bird gets the worm and suddenly just as quickly as he was linked to the Royals, Ward suddenly has a new home.

Late Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Angels traded Ward to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for young right-hander Grayson Rodriguez.

Royals miss out on ideal trade target after Angels trade Taylor Ward to Baltimore

Ward really would've fit in well in the middle of this order, as his power and plate discipline in a corner outfield spot is precisely what the Royals need in 2026.

His .792 OPS and 117 wRC+ were leaps and bounds better than any of the consistent cast of characters the Royals sported in both left and right field not named Mike Yastrzemski. His 36 HR would do wonders to raise this team out of their bottom five status in that department and his 11.3% walk rate would certainly better their second worst walk rate.

Now, the Royals find themselves in a situation where they need to act fast with the outfield market quickly starting to take shape.

While Ward wasn't the only Angels outfielder available, the likelihood of them trading Jo Adell now is certainly slimmer, as it's hard to think that they'd be willing to trade away two promising starting outfielders in the same offseason.

The well certainly isn't dry though, as teams like the Boston Red Sox - who were also linked to the Royals in Jon Morosi's report last week - still have options J.J. Picollo and the front office could explore, but KC's not the only team that's in need of an outfield bat. Plenty of teams will be searching the trade market for just that very thing.

As the offseason rages on more and more names will start finding new homes with the outfield market materializing already, the Royals need to ensure they move with it or else they'll be in the same boat as they were last offseason - scrounging for anybody at the 11th hour to just to fill a place rather than upgrading.