On December 4, 1978, Ford was traded to the Angels for Danny Goodwin and Ron Jackson. He was tagged out by Doug DeCinces while attempting to advance to third base on a force play that ended Game 2 of the 1979 American League Championship Series. Both Ford and DeCinces were exchanged for each other years later in a trade that also sent Jeff Schneider from the Orioles to the Angels and was announced on January 28, 1982. The deal was delayed when Ford requested additional compensation because the Orioles were not one of six teams listed in his contract to which he could be traded without approval. The transaction became official upon his approval two days later on January 30. The Orioles had tried to trade for Ford previously, but were unable to after the Angels originally picked him up.