To accomplish that, one of the two deals they completed with the Baltimore Orioles centered around versatile outfielder Austin Hays.
They thought highly enough of him that they included one of their key bullpen pieces, Seranthony Dominguez, in the deal along with outfielder Cristian Pache, who was placed on waivers shortly after.
After a stellar stretch of play from 2021-2023, Hays’s production slipped in 2024 because of a multitude of injuries.
Early in the campaign with the Orioles he strained his calf and was sidelined a month. In his 10th game with Philadelphia, he suffered a hamstring strain. Soon after that, it was revealed that he was dealing with a kidney infection that had gone undiagnosed.
All of those ailments resulted in an underwhelming performance across only 85 games.
He recorded a slash line of .255/.303/.396, well short of what he had been accomplishing the seasons prior, as he was well below average with the Phillies.
Because of those struggles, the team decided to move on from him this offseason, non-tendering him. That instantly made him a free agent, the status he still has since no team has signed him yet.
But, in the opinion of Paul Casella of MLB.com, Hays is one of the most underrated players remaining on the market.
“It’s easy to overlook Hays given how his 2024 season ended. Acquired ahead of the Trade Deadline by the Phillies, Hays was expected to step into an everyday role for a Philadelphia team that was poised to make a deep postseason run as the National League’s top seed … Now fully healthy and still just 29 years old on Opening Day, Hays will be eager to put his injury-riddled 2024 campaign behind him..”
Taking over what was supposed to be Hays’s role in the lineup as the starting left fielder is Max Kepler, who signed a one-year deal in free agency.
It is a swap Philadelphia will soon come to regret.
It is easy to understand why the Phillies moved on from Hays after seeing how he played for them down the stretch. But it was clear the injuries had a negative impact on him, as his track record before the 2024 campaign speaks for itself.
Kepler has some upside but has had injury concerns throughout his Major League career. He has also never played left field, making it a sizable risk for a team with championship aspirations to rely on him as the starter.
There isn’t much suggesting that, in his age-32 season, he is going to be able to put it all together and outperform what Hays has shown he is capable of when healthy.
The non-tendered outfielder also would have cost less based on arbitration projections, something a team with a massive payroll would have benefitted from since any wiggle room would have been helpful.
