Austin Hays
As one of the Phillies’ main trade deadline acquisitions this past season, Austin Hays turned out to be a huge disappointment when all was said and done. Perhaps things might have been a little different had he been healthy during his tenure with the club. However, a strained hamstring and a kidney infection ultimately kept Hays on the sidelines more than his time on the field for the final two months of the season.
In the end, Hays appeared in only 22 games, being able to muster just a .256 average, .672 OPS with eight runs scored, five doubles, two home runs, six RBI and two stolen bases in 80 total plate appearances. With hopes that he could provide at least some impact for the Phillies during the playoffs, he would end up appearing in just two games and struck out three times in just four at-bats.
As a result, their huge deadline bet in settling for a lesser light compared to other prominent options that were available became a complete flop for Philadelphia.
With regards to Hays' future with the team, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski may have provided a little insight on it after the season.
“We have Hays, of course, we’ll have to make a decision in that regard,” Dombrowski said during his end-of-season press conference when discussing the Phillies' outfield options for next year.
That decision likely comes down to whether Hays will be non-tendered or traded this offseason. There is still an outside shot that the Phillies could tender him a contract and see what he has got for the upcoming season, but it is highly unlikely, given the hefty price tag of $6+ million from his one year remaining of arbitration eligibility.
Nevertheless, with the underwhelming numbers he put up for the Phillies down the stretch, despite all of the circumstances, it would be a hard pill for the Phillies faithful to swallow if he remained with the team into the 2025 season.