This Reds-Angels trade could be the fix both clubs desperately need right now

If the Cincinnati Reds are serious about adding real thump without detonating the budget or the farm, this is the cleanest path on the board: flip a surplus inning-eater for a middle-of-the-order bat who fits Great American Ball Park like a glove. 

Taylor Ward’s profile, right-handed power, lift, and a history of handling velocity translates instantly in Cincinnati. Pair that with a team that spent too many nights one swing short in 2025, and you’ve got the shape of a deal that strengthens the lineup without compromising the club’s long-term core. The Reds don’t need a headline; they need 30 extra homers worth of threat. Ward brings that on day one.

Angels' outfielder Taylor Ward for Reds pitcher Brady Singer is the rare win-win trade

On the other side, the Los Angeles Angels have watched too many seasons unravel because a thin rotation turned every series into a bullpen fire drill. That’s where Brady Singer changes the math.

Thirty-two starts, 169⅔ innings, and a 3.1 WAR in 2025 isn’t sexy, it’s stabilizing. It turns five-and-dive into six-and-done, protects a bullpen, and sets a floor for a staff that’s had none. The Angels won’t fix everything in one move, but locking in a durable, mid-rotation arm is the kind of boring that wins over a full season.

Contractually, the puzzle pieces click. Both players are set to reach free agency after the 2026 season — so neither club is taking on an albatross or a tear-down. Ward is slated for roughly $11.2 million in 2026; Singer’s 2026 figure is in the same neighborhood (call it $13 million), making this a money-neutral swap in spirit, if not to the dollar.

If you view Ward’s 36-homer punch as carrying a slight surplus over Singer’s steady innings, that’s where a modest sweetener comes in: Cincinnati can add a lower-level prospect or modest cash considerations to balance value without touching the top of the system.

From a baseball-fit perspective, it’s almost tailor-made — Taylor-made, even. Ward’s carry to left and left-center plays in Great American, and his right-handed thunder diversifies a lineup that could use more damage against lefties. Singer’s sinker/slider combo gives the Angels exactly what they’ve lacked: a dependable turn who keeps them in games and saves the ‘pen. Each club trades from relative strength, Reds’ starting-pitching depth for Angels’ corner-outfield depth to address a clear weakness. That’s textbook roster building.

It’s rare to find a one-for-one that helps both teams win the next six months without mortgaging the next six years. This is one of those times. Ward gives the Reds the middle-order voltage they’ve been missing; Singer gives the Angels the rotation floor they’ve been craving.