Looking back at Seranthony Domínguez's time with the Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have not been shy ahead of today's MLB trade deadline, making two major trades this past weekend that resulted in the team acquiring outfielder Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles and closer Carlos Estévez from the Los Angeles Angels in two separate deals. With just a few hours remaining before the trade deadline closes, could the Phillies make yet another move?

Neither of these deals should come as much of a shock. The Phillies tried a handful of players in the outfield this season while attempting to find platoon partners for light-hitting rookie Johan Rojas, and Brandon Marsh, whose struggles against left-handed pitching have become a legitimate concern. Having seen enough, the Phillies traded reliever Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache to the Orioles for Hays.

The need for another outfield bat had become more apparent in recent weeks, and with the Phillies seemingly in the conversation for a number of well-known trade targets, it was only a question of who the Phillies would land, and what they would have to give up in order to acquire that player.

When the Phillies and Orioles got serious about making a deal for Hays happen, the O's found themselves more interested in acquiring players already on the MLB roster instead of prospects, with Domínguez and Pache enough to get a deal done.

Looking back at Seranthony Domínguez's time with the Phillies

When Seranthony Domínguez made his first appearance for the Orioles on Friday, images of Domínguez wearing another team's uniform were a bit strange to comprehend. Having debuted for the Phillies in 2018, Domínguez was the second longest-tenured Phillies player behind Aaron Nola before being traded on Friday.

Looking back on Domínguez's time in Philadelphia, it's hard not to forget those early years, when many thought the hard-throwing Dominican right-hander would become the closer of the future. After undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of the 2020 season and all but one game in 2021, Domínguez never fully got back on track since returning to full-time bullpen duty in 2022.

The Phillies gave Domínguez plenty of chances to get things right on the mound, but after posting a record of 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA this season, they opted to use the 29-year-old as a trade piece and dealt the underperforming reliever to the Orioles for outfield help. While Domínguez's time in Philadelphia ends on a frustrating note, teammates like Nola had nothing but praise for the contributions Domínguez made during the 2022 and 2023 playoff runs, according to Phillie Nation's Tim Kelly.

“Oh man, [I] played with Ser for quite a while," said Nola, per Kelly. "He was a good teammate, man. It’s tough to see guys go, but it’s tough to see guys that you played with for a while get traded and leave the team and the organization. He pitched in a lot of games, a lot of big games for us. It’s tough, man."

Looking back, Domínguez was an excellent pitcher for the Phillies at times during his six years in Philadelphia. He'll close the book with a record of 19-17 with a 3.55 ERA, in addition to 28 saves and 253 strikeouts in 220 2/3 innings. This could be a good move for Domínguez, as he might benefit from a change of scenery after spending his entire professional career with the Phillies since being signed as an international free agent in 2011.