According to reporter Jon Heyman, the Philadelphia Phillies have non-tendered outfielder Austin Hays, their trade deadline acquisition, following a disappointing tenure. The former all-star was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Phillies at this year’s trade deadline for Seranthony Dominguez and Cristian Pache.
Austin Hays before the deadline
Before the deadline, Hays wasn’t exactly hitting the cover off the ball, sporting a .255/.316/.395/.711 line in his 157 at-bats. The thought process behind the move was to acquire an outfielder who could hit lefty-pitching, which he did well before the trade. While with Baltimore, he hit .328/.394/.500/.894 with one home run in 72 at-bats against left-handed pitching. His 156 wRC+ against lefties was fourth on the Orioles.
Struggles with the Phillies after the deadline
After the deadline, Hays did hit left-handed pitching well, but he was put in more than he should have been, which caused him to see a lot of right-handed pitchers. Against left-handed pitching, he hit .444/.444/.667/1.111 without any home runs in 18 at-bats. Against right-handed hitting, Hays hit .200/.226/.317/.543 with two home runs in 60 at-bats. A dramatic change in his statistics.
He finishes his Phillies tenure with a .256/.275/.397/.672 line with two total home runs and six RBI.
Trade grade: D-
This trade did not help the Phillies but it wasn’t anyone’s fault. Hays immediately got sick with a kidney infection and was out for a while. You can’t predict something like this, and it’s unfortunate how it panned out, but it doesn’t change the fact that Hays didn’t contribute as much as everybody thought he would. While Seranthony Dominguez was sure to be traded, they could have gotten more from him in areas of need.
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
