Former Orioles All Star dumped by reigning NL East champs

The Phillies seem like a mixed bag this winter. At first, GM Dave Dombrowski came out and said that they didn't need to add any big name stars this offseason, thanks to an already talented roster. Then, owner John Middleton spoke up about the need for the Phillies to pursue everyone who could help the team win a championship in 2025.

Though they haven't made any big signings or trades to this point, the Phillies' path through this off-season is going to be interesting to watch. Most recently, they've chosen to give up on mid-season trade acquisition and former Orioles' outfielder Austin Hays.

Today is the non-tender deadline. Teams have to decide whether to offer arbitration-eligible players a contract for the following season by 6pm tonight. The Phils decided that Hays' missed time in 2024, and lackluster performance in general, wasn't worth the investment.

Phillies non-tender former Orioles' outfielder Austin Hays

Unfortunately for Hays, the young outfielder missed time, first with a hamstring and then with a kidney infection that kept him out for an extended period. In total, he suited up for the Phillies just 22 times after getting traded. In that time, he hit an uninspiring .256/.275/.397 and he failed to draw a walk in 80 plate appearances.

Thanks to his on-field struggles in 2024, Hays wasn't due a big raise in arbitration. After making $6.3 million this past year, MLB Trade Rumors projected him to get just $6.4 million in 2025. Still, that's a decent chunk of money for a guy with so many question marks.

Yes, Hays was an All Star in 2023 and he had his moments during his time in Baltimore. However, things never totally clicked, at least not in the sense that we saw so much potential back in his limited time in 2019.

In total, Hays' 2024 amounted to a .255/.303/.396 slash line in just 85 games played. He managed just 5 homers and 2 steals, and at 29 years old his already questionable defense isn't getting any better. Despite all that, Hays should still land a job somewhere.

He might not get the same kind of money that he did in 2024, but there's absolutely a team out there that'll scoop him up and give him a chance to win a job in spring training. We'll see where he winds up later this winter.