Recently Traded Baltimore Orioles Player Seemingly Takes Shot at Franchise

It look little time for one of the recently traded Baltimore Orioles player to say something that made fans raise some eyebrows.

Jul 24, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Orioles left fielder Austin Hays (21) in the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the trade deadline, it was expected the Baltimore Orioles would be aggressive in their search for roster upgrades that would address some of the major holes on their roster.

Starting pitching is the most pressing thing they need to acquire, and they were able to do that by shipping out three of their prospects to land Zach Eflin.

He wasn't the dream target like Tarik Skubal or Garrett Crochet many Orioles fans were hoping for, but the veteran right-hander is a very solid addition who will pitch meaningful innings for them during the back half of the year and into the playoffs.

That was the only deal Baltimore made on Friday, though.

They shocked many people in the baseball world when they shipped out Austin Hays to the Philadelphia Phillies in return for reliever Seranthony Dominguez and outfielder Cristian Pache.

Hays was a third round pick by the franchise in 2016, becoming a staple during their rebuild and emerging as one of the leaders in the clubhouse. That culminated last season when he was selected to his first All-Star Game.

But he was largely reduced to a limited role with the Orioles this year and became expendable in the front office's eyes as they were looking to bring in a bullpen arm who could help them in the immediate future.

With Hays out the door, it didn't take long for him to say something that seemingly was a shot at his former team.

Austin Hays feels like he's upgraded teams @Cherry_Pins pic.twitter.com/o6pIU3OhgK

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 27, 2024

Those remarks were made to the media scrum after his first game with the Phillies on Friday.

"To go from one first place team to another one is probably everything you could ask for as a player to go from one winning team to another winning team. There's not very many teams you could feel like you're upgrading in a way from where you were when your team's in first place, but that's how I feel. I feel like I'm coming into a place where we have an even better chance of winning a World Series, so I'm really excited to be here."

That was Hays' full quote.

Sure, Philadelphia has the best record in Major League Baseball, and they seem to have an easier path on paper as the Los Angeles Dodgers are riddled with injuries and the Atlanta Braves continue to falter, but to say that so soon after getting dealt certainly will raise some eyebrows.

Hays was frustrated with his limited role in Baltimore this season, so maybe it shouldn't be too surprising he would take this opportunity to send a message to the front office that traded him.

Still, it's certainly an interesting comment coming from someone who spent eight years within the organization.