Philadelphia Phillies Make Surprising Trade with Baltimore Orioles

The Philadelphia Phillies are on the board with a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.

Jun 30, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays (21) scores a run during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies have made their first move of the deadline in a surprise trade with the Baltimore Orioles.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Phillies have acquired outfielder Austin Hays and will send Seranthony Dominguez and Cristian Pache to the Orioles.

Pache, who continued to struggle on the offensive end, was an easy move for Philadelphia. Dominguez, however, was once an above-average bullpen arm.

He's struggled in big ways this season, posting a 4.75 ERA in 36.0 innings pitched. Despite his struggles, he was someone who could eat up innings in this bullpen.

Still, this all but guarantees the Phillies will be in the market for a relief pitcher in the next few days, as that was already expected to happen. Baltimore needed bullpen help, too, so perhaps they believe they can fix some of the struggles from Dominguez this year.

Hays is a sneaky good addition to a Philadelphia team that needed outfield help.

An All-Star in 2023, he's had a somewhat quiet year in comparison to what he did last season. His .255/.316/.395 slash line does pose some optimism, as even when struggling, he's still holding a 106 OPS+.

The talk of the past few months for the Phillies has been about who they're going to add in the outfield. It's uncertain if Hays is the perfect addition to that hole, but this at least gives them some depth.

With four days until the trade deadline, they'll have time to make another move, as there's a chance Philadelphia has something else up their sleeves.