Philadelphia Phillies Non-Tender Disappointing Trade Deadline Acquisition

The Philadelphia Phillies have officially non-tendered their biggest trade deadline acquisition of 2024.

Sep 27, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Austin Hays (9) rounds the bases during the eighth inning after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images / James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies needed to make a move at the 2024 MLB trade deadline to improve their outfield, and they believed that they did just that in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Phillies sent relief pitcher Seranthony Dominguez and journeyman Cristian Pache to the Orioles for veteran outfielder Austin Hays to come in and be their everyday left fielder.

Between two different injuries, including a kidney infection, and inconsistent production at the plate, it was evident that Philadelphia was not pleased with the move that they made, and they made another move today to alleviate that.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Hays was informed by the Phillies today that he will be non-tendered ahead of tonight's deadline, officially making him a free agent.

Austin Hays was informed he is being non-tendered by Phillies. Only 29, Hays suffered through a severe kidney infection after being traded to Philly. Only a year removed from an All Star and Gold Glove finalist season, he’ll be an interesting free agent.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 22, 2024

Hays saw a drastic drop in his production from his time with Baltimore to his time in Philadelphia, going from a 108 OPS+ to start the season, to an 86 OPS+ to end it.

The veteran batted only .256/.275/.397 across 80 plate appearances in 20 games with the Phillies with two home runs and six RBI.

Hays's All-Star campaign in 2023 saw him bat .275/.325/.444 with 16 home runs, 67 RBI, and a 114 OPS+ across 566 plate appearances in 144 games.

It has been a rollercoaster of a career for the veteran across his seven seasons in Major League Baseball, but he is still on the right side of 30.

Hays is now a free agent for the first time in his career and could serve as a viable bench bat on any contender in need of depth.