Ward has long been the subject of trade rumors to Philadelphia, mostly via speculation from fans who have seen the 31-year-old as a logical trade target for the last couple seasons. Ward was worth 2.9 fWAR a season ago when he batted .

The Royals have been reportedly interested in Taylor Ward as far back as the summer of 2024, when they were making their push for the playoffs with an offense full of holes. The team has been unable to patch those holes up so far,