New Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Austin Hays is throwing a little shade to his old team, the Baltimore Orioles. Hays says that it's an improvement to come to Philadelphia from Baltimore.
“I feel like I'm coming to a place where we have an even better chance of winning a World Series, so I am really excited,” Hays said when meeting with the press, per Phillies Nation.
The outfielder was dealt from Baltimore to Philadelphia ahead of the July 30 MLB trade deadline. Philadelphia traded outfielder Cristian Pache and pitcher Seranthony Dominguez to Baltimore in return for Hays.
Austin Hays had the respect of Phillies management
Hays joins a Phillies team that is gunning for a deep postseason run. Philadelphia leads the National League East standings, with a 64-39 record heading into Saturday's games. The team has lost 7 of their last 10 games, so the club was likely to make some moves ahead of the deadline to right the ship.
“We’ve liked Hays for a few years,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said, per MLB.com. “We’ve actually tried to acquire him the last two [Trade] Deadlines and have been asked for much more than we’ve wanted to give. He’s a good hitter. I know he hasn’t played all that much this year. He’s gotten squeezed out of playing time with the amount of good young outfielders that they have.
“When we’ve seen him, we’ve liked him. He can hit. He’s a gamer. He can play left field well, and we’re looking for a bit better at-bats from the right side and he fits it.”
Hays has three home runs and 14 RBIs on the season so far. The 29-year-old outfielder is batting at a .255 average. He had two hits in his last game, on July 25 against the Miami Marlins.
What the Phillies want next
After the Hays addition, Philadelphia is now turning its attention to its pitching. The team is looking for a reliever who can bolster their bullpen for the rest of this season and into the postseason. It is especially important for the club, especially with Dominguez now gone.
“We were already kind of looking toward bullpen,” Dombrowski added. “That's something we'll continue to pursue.”
Phillies fans are anxious to see what management does next. The team is arguably one of the best in the National League, but recent play has left a lot to be desired. The club is still nine games ahead in the NL East. The surprising New York Mets are in second place.
The Orioles and their fans are probably not going to be too happy with Hays' comments. It will be interesting to see what happens when Hays and Philadelphia return to Baltimore for a series.
The Phillies next host the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm Eastern.
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