The Seattle Mariners had a major swing-and-miss at the trade deadline. 

Seattle's offense needed an upgrade against left-handed pitching, and outfielder Taylor Ward appeared to be a perfect acquisition. 

But following the trade with the Baltimore Orioles for Ward, the right-handed hitter's offensive production fell off a cliff. 

"Not only did a trade to Seattle, unsurprisingly, not reignite his power stroke, but Ward just completely hit a wall after being dealt to the Mariners," Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly wrote. 

"In 101 plate appearances with the M's, Ward hit just .125 with zero homers. After posting a .383 on-base percentage with the O's, Ward finished his brief Mariners stint with just a .238 OBP," Kelly added. 

Ward was an on-base machine with the Orioles, trading power for the ability to get on base in front of guys like Pete Alonso. 

Perhaps his new way of thinking at the plate went a little too far.

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"Obviously, Ward won't be back in Seattle. He'll be a difficult free agent to figure out. He homered 36 times and drove in 103 runs for the Angels in 2025," Kelly wrote. "In 2026, he hit seven homers and drove in 37 runs in 143 games. He did walk 99 times, but it's hard to know what to expect from him moving forward." 

Ward's tenure with the Mariners was so poor that many clubs may stay away from him altogether. Seattle included. 

Others may consider what he did just two seasons ago and hope he can get back to that level of production. 

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