The Phillies have informed outfielder Austin Hays that they will not tender him a contract before tonight’s deadline, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. He’ll immediately become a free agent without having to first clear waivers. He’d been projected for a $6.4MM salary by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
Hays, 29, spent his entire career with the Orioles before being traded to the Phils in exchange for Seranthony Dominguez and Cristian Pache a few days before the 2024 trade deadline. The Phillies hoped that Hays, who’d battled injuries in the season’s first half, could rebound with better health and solidify their outfield mix down the stretch. That’s not how things played out, however. Hays suffered a strained hamstring a couple weeks after the trade and only briefly returned before hitting the shelf with a kidney infection that took a significant toll on his body. He only took 80 plate appearances with Philadelphia and batted just .256/.275/.397 in that small sample.
All told, Hays endured three IL stints in 2024, missing time with that kidney infection, hamstring strain and a calf strain that shelved him for three weeks from late April to mid-May. His combined .255/.303/.396 slash between the two clubs was arguably the worst production of his big league career.
While injuries clearly hampered Hays’ 2024 campaign, he’s still only a season removed from an All-Star season. Hays turned in a nice .275/.325/.444 slash with 16 home runs and quality glovework in left field as recently as 2023. He’s long been the type of player who thrives in platoon settings and merely holds his own against same-handed opponents, but paired with his defensive acumen that’s enough for him to have been a solid regular in Baltimore. Hays is a lifetime .277/.331/.469 hitter against lefties (120 wRC+) and a .254/.304/.415 hitter against fellow righties (99 wRC+).
Teams seeking a low-cost, right-handed bat to plug into their outfield mix figure to have interest in Hays. Many non-tendered players ultimately sign minor league deals, but Hays was a notable enough contributor with the O’s from 2021-23 that he ought to find a one-year deal in free agency, presumably a price south of his projected arbitration salary.
The Phillies, meanwhile, were already known to be in the market for outfield help. Hays was a likely non-tender candidate for some time now, though they opted not to make the move before today — presumably gauging the market for potential trade partners. Philadelphia’s outfield includes Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas and Nick Castellanos, but the Phils are interested in adding a bat to the outfield and either going with a Marsh/Rojas platoon in the other spot or giving Marsh a larger role if he can handle lefties better than in the past. The Phillies are planning to meet with Juan Soto and will surely be connected to a variety of other targets both on the open market and trade market.
He had a -0.3 WAR despite .256/.672 in 22 G. Can’t blame them if Marsh is their LF…
Honestly, Marsh shouldn’t be the LF either, he isn’t good enough. They need to upgrade. Everyone loves him because of his personality, but he’s not the answer. He can be in CF where defense can make up for lack of offense.
Back to back 3.0 WAR + seasons. He’s not exactly a bum, 117 wRC+ in his tenure with Phillies as well
Not much of a surprise after Hays’ tough 2024 season. But he’s only one season removed from a good 2021-23 run that saw him pile up 8.1 bWAR of value. Some team will pick him up on a modest deal and hope for a return to that kind of production.
The Sacramento a’s, have shown interest.
Pirates could use a player like Hays
Marlins?
That’s a solid guess. A team in that profile…lower payroll that could use a respectable vet presence to play a fair number of games and take on some pinch-hitting duty. He’s got decent clutch stats, nothing amazing but certainly doesn’t fold under pressure either.
A fanbase might grumble at signing Hays to a modest, 1 year type deal by saying it’s underwhelming…but few could argue it’s actually a bad move.
I think Hays could be a great low-cost investment for many teams out there. He could very well play 140+ games on teams like the White Sox, Marlins, and A’s. But he could also be a serviceable platoon/bench bat for competing clubs in need of corner OF help.
He is just the kind of guy this management team goes after.
Would you be mad
A better option than Fairchild or Benson, though I would rather it be more of a bopper.
Agreed, I don’t think their after any big fish though
Agreed, sadly.
O’s fan here so this is a bummer to see but not necessarily unsurprising.
Hays has some pretty clear first half/second half splits developing over the past few years where he really fades down the stretch. If memory serves, 2022 was a prime example of that where he was an all-star snub before the break but then was approaching unplayable territory after the break.
I’m sure he’ll latch on somewhere for 2025, but I think his “everyday player” days are behind him unfortunately. Not sure if he fits a platoon profile but something like that or a limited role to keep him fresher through the season.
Hays could still work in Baltimore as a platoon bat. The LF wall coming in would help him out too.
He’d cost next to nothing for a flier and he’s extremely well liked here.
Kinda figured they could tender him and deal him back. Eh, whatever.
Is his arbitration salary next to nothing for a fourth outfielder?
Pass.
Hays’ .941 OPS v. LH last year is a lot better than the unplayable Mullins and Cowser’s .660 OPS.
RH OF to platoon is a must have & I’m hoping the plan isn’t Daz Cameron…..
I doubt Hays is brought back because he’s not an Elias guy & he was just dealt away. But Elias’ plan to replace Hays didn’t work out last year. Need someone for that role.
Dave Dombrowski’s worst trade deadline of his career in my opinion. It was clear the Phillies needed a jolt and something in LF full time and he just didn’t pull the trigger. Attempted work arounds and odd fringe trades.
Yeah he dropped the ball this year. Estevez was a good get, but otherwise he just gave pieces away.
Estevez was a good get?? 2 high upside pitching prospects for a 32 year old rental who likely won’t be back next year???
Am an admitted Dombrowski fan, but cr^pping on him for getting a guy who seemed a very good fit, who got injured twice…?
Hays looked motivated to prove he wasn’t a platoon guy…..so a good fit. Dude just had odd injuries.
Dombrowski sent filler for a clear upgrade. But you say worst….?
Respect the opinion, just not the take.
Nice take cambo, but Dumbrowski got cheap.
As the recipient of the trash I have to say this was Baltimore’s worst trade deadline that I can remember. An underwhelming deadline is one thing but to trade to make yourself worse is another. IMO that’s when the season ended for the Orioles.
People in Philly had to love unloading what they sent to Baltimore. Were any of those guys missed at all?
Seems like Hays is on the IL at least once a season
Who isn’t though?
Alonso.
This is a little surprising but he’s 29, I suppose he is who he is at this point.
Seems like just yesterday he was a hyped prospect.
It’s not really that surprising though.
Wasn’t super hyped. He was ranked somewhere just outside the top 100. He’s essentially lived up to expectations.
I could see the Rangers being interested. He could platoon with Carter until Carter hits lefties better.
He’s going to get a job, probably with a lower or mid revenue team, and if he works out, he’ll be swapped again midseason. Or, it could be a modest two year deal (2nd a team option with a modest buyout). He will play.
When the White Sox signed Austin Slater, I was surprised the Phillies didn’t make an offer, as he’d be a good RH complement to Marsh with the ability to play a competent CF. Now that they’ve non-tendered Hays, it makes zero sense to not have gone after Slater considering the price he signed at.
Slater is aweful. Phillies need to be looking higher then that.
Noooo he was like the number one target for years. Say it ain’t so.
Signing Merrifield for $9 million was the first mistake. Trading for this guy was the second. I wanted Gritchuk instead
Gritchuk last season, that is
Don’t think Arizona was looking to give him away in a postseason race.
I meant before he signed with AZ
They know that they simply need to improve in the OF, and the options are limited. But to retain Hays is a move to continue treading water – he is really a second division type player.
I can live with Marsh and Rojas holding down CF and another year of Castle in RF if they upgrade LF. Even a better platoon out there for a year might work with Crawford and Rincones hopefully pushing for time by late summer. or 2026.
CarverAndrews;
2nd division ballplayer? Like Joe Rudi was a 2nd division ballplayer.
Hays was a team leader and consistent on the field for the O’s. When they traded him they fell apart – I know, I watched. They went from being the best team in the AL to playing .500 ball the rest of the year.
DD is falling into the trap most large market teams do: Trying to put a team of superstars out on the field. Works great in rotisserie league. Not so much in MLB where people play on a field.
Cmon. I like Austin Hays as much as the next guy but the team was slumping leading up to that trade. Hays was being used as a platoon player. He wasn’t holding the club together.
I’d like him back FWIW but the team had clear flaws that made the season go south. Very little of that was due to Hays not being there at the end.
Not a fan of his swing mechanics, and he is at best an average defender out there…trending towards being a platoon bat without a ton of upside. Hard to see him as a starter on a strong contender – especially one that needs some real impact from a corner OF.. In today’s environment he is certainly going to get picked up and have a role somewhere but given his age it is hard to see any form of major bump in his hitting profile at this point.
We don’t need superstars everywhere, but the Phils need to add a couple of solid hit tools and cut down on the chase and K% as they have enough of that baked in already. Hays was not a solution for them. Plus, the Phils already have team leadership and Hays was not a bonus on that front without being an improvement on the field.
I don’t see a reason for the Orioles to sign him. If they are indeed moving on from Santander and giving their younger talent a shot in the outfield then signing Hays we’ll be going against a plan to give their younger players a chance to play and succeed. Plus the fact that Hays is more of a left fielder and occasionally center field and really not suited for right field. And they have Cowser to handle those responsibilities. I just don’t see it happening.
Hays would fit fine in RF. He has a great arm.
The problem is that we don’t have RH bats to platoon in the OF. I’m totally fine with someone other than Austin Hays but adding a right handed outfielder is necessary. Should see better numbers with LF wall coming back in a bit too.
Where are all the chucklehead Elias haters on this trade?
Freeing up both money and LF for Soto. Ultmately JT, Casty, Walker, and Bohm can be replaced by Marchan, Crawford, Painter, and Miller at far less cost.
As much as I don’t want it, Rays, meet your next .200 hitting outfielder.
I like Hays. He’s a smart, complete ballplayer. He was injured in 2024.
He’s 29 years-old. Hardly falling apart unless the injuries he had aren’t reversible. Assuming he gets healthy, a contender like Cleveland is perfect for him. Braves. Tigers. Royals. Pirates. Reds. Rangers. Another 4-5 teams. All depends on how much money he’s looking for.
Reds?
Adios to the bigot. Never wanted him on my team anyway after that Pride night bs in Baltimore.
Hayes dropped badly this past season. It’s like the emergence of Baltimore’s new crop took the life out of him. Injuries played into of course, too, but the feeling of knowing your replacements have arrived sucks.
what a waste of a trade, i couldn’t have done any better though as i am not a big league gm, my extent of working in baseball is being a summer data analytics intern for a frontier league team. cool story, i know…