The Philadelphia Phillies completed their first trade deadline move on Friday, acquiring outfielder Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Cristian Pache and reliever Seranthony Domínguez.
It is quite rare to see two division leaders make a deal before the deadline, especially when both are strong candidates for the World Series. But if both of them end up filling a large need on their squads, it might be a win-win situation for both teams.
Austin Hays trade grade: Have the Phillies found the man to solve the outfield?
The Phillies have acquired Hays, a former 2016 third-round pick from Jacksonville University. He advanced quickly through the Orioles minor league system, making his MLB debut only three years later.
However, Hays did not become a mainstay in the Orioles’ lineup until 2021, and he has not looked back since. With an average of 20 home runs and 70 RBI per year, he established himself in the middle of Baltimore’s batting order for the better part of three seasons. This includes his All-Star season of last year, when he batted.275 with a.769 OPS, 76 runs scored, 36 doubles, 16 home runs, and 67 RBI in 144 games.
More importantly, there is no significant drop-off in his defensive game when compared to his attacking ability. Hays may not provide Gold Glove-caliber defence, but he can hold his own with a career DRS of 20 and a stunning fielding percentage of.994. Despite the rookie’s ups and downs this season, he was pushed out of a regular role with the Orioles.
It appears that Hays will be given a fresh start with the Phillies. According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, manager Rob Thomson stated that Hays will be the daily left fielder, with Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas splitting time in centre. The Phillies feel that with additional playing time, Hays may regain his prolific form.
In exchange for Pache and Domínguez, the Phillies traded a reserve outfielder and a failing reliever.
Pache was never able to find his footing with the Phillies. Despite his continuous strong defence, he struggled at the plate. He had a terrible batting average in 98 games for Philadelphia.218 with a.637 OPS, 21 runs scored, two home runs, and 20 RBI in 213 plate appearances.
Domínguez’s performance has declined since his spectacular season with the Phillies in 2022. He struggled with the Phillies in 2024, with a career-worst 4.75 ERA and 86 ERA+ in 38 appearances while yielding the greatest home run rate of his career at 1.5 homers per nine innings. As a result, he became a less dependable option for Philadelphia to use out of the pen.
Austin Hays trade grade: The Verdict
Given that one of the Phillies’ primary aims at the trade deadline was to add outfield depth, Hays was a solid addition. He is certainly a better offensive option than anyone other than Nick Castellanos in the Phillies’ outfield. Hays will assign one of Marsh or Rojas to a daily bench duty, which is a major upgrade over what Pache offered to the squad.
Domínguez’s decreasing effectiveness in high-leverage circumstances made him expendable, despite being an important arm for the Phillies. However, because Hays is not a game changer in the same way that Luis Robert Jr. would have been, we rate the deal a respectable B+. Hopefully, Hays will prove that he is much more than that.
Austin Hays’ trade grade: B+.
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