The Orioles announced Friday that they’ve traded outfielder Austin Hays to the Phillies in exchange for right-hander Seranthony Dominguez and outfielder Cristian Pache. Baltimore is designating righty Levi Stoudt for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot, the team announced. The Phillies filled their open roster spot by reinstating right-hander Michael Rucker from the 60-day injured list.
It’s a rare swap of major leaguers between a pair of World Series hopefuls. Hays will give the Phillies a more impactful right-handed bat in their outfield mix than they had in the glove-first Pache. Hays isn’t having his best season but was a 2023 All-Star and has pounded left-handed pitching both in 2024 and throughout his career. Dominguez, similarly, is having a down season but sports a much better track record. He’s still a hard-throwing reliever with high-leverage experience and has at times operated as the Phillies’ closer.
Hays, 29, is hitting .255/.316/.395 this season in 175 plate appearances. He missed nearly a month with a calf strain earlier this season, and it’s certainly possible that injury impacted his production; Hays hit just .111/.200/.111 in 50 trips to the plate prior to that IL stint but has returned with an excellent .313/.363/.509 slash in 125 subsequent plate appearances.
That slash is perhaps partially attributable to the fact that Hays has been platooned more than in seasons past, thanks to the emergence of lefty-hitting outfielders Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad in Baltimore. Between that pair, center fielder Cedric Mullins, right fielder Anthony Santander and first basemen/designated hitters Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan Mountcastle, the O’s are dealing from a wealth of corner depth in this swap. Hays has been exclusively a corner outfielder this year and hasn’t played center field with any regularity since 2020.
Prior to this season’s rough start (and the emergence of those young top prospects), Hays has been a fixture in the Baltimore outfield. The former third-round pick was a top-100 prospect himself and from 2019-23 tallied 1886 plate appearances with a strong .264/.317/.441 batting line (109 wRC+). Hays doesn’t walk much (career 5.9%) but strikes out at a 21.5% clip that’s slightly below league-average. He’s typically posted average or better grades in left field, though his marks this season are down across the board. Again, however, that’s not necessarily a surprise for an outfielder who’s battled a lower-leg injury that impacted his speed and mobility.
Hays will give the Phillies a productive platoon partner to pair with lefty-swinging Brandon Marsh in left field. Both Marsh and Hays (in a pinch) can handle center field as well, though it’s likely that defensive standout Johan Rojas will continue to patrol that position regularly — barring an additional outfield acquisition from president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Hays has bludgeoned lefties at a .328/.394/.500 clip in 72 plate appearances this year and touts a lifetime .272/.328/.463 output against southpaws.
The Phillies will be able to control Hays through the 2025 season if they choose, though he’d be an expensive part-time player if they plan to platoon him all season in 2025. He’s earning $6.3MM this year in his second arbitration season and will be due one final raise this winter — likely to a number north of $8MM — before qualifying as a free agent in the 2025-26 offseason.
Turning to the Orioles’ end of the deal, they’ll first and foremost add an experienced reliever in the form of the 29-year-old Dominguez. He’s been tagged for a 4.75 ERA this year in 36 innings but entered the 2024 campaign with a career 3.31 earned run average, 27 saves and 52 holds. Dominguez has been uncharacteristically homer-prone this year and thus struggled to strand runners, but his velocity (97.5 mph average fastball), strikeout rate (25.5%) and walk rate (7.6%) all remain strong. This year’s walk rate is actually a career-low, and Dominguez’s 25.5% strikeout rate isn’t terribly far off the 27.5% mark he carried into the season.
As is often the case with relievers, Dominguez’s pedestrian earned run average is skewed by a small number of meltdowns. He’s been tagged for four earned runs on two separate occasions this season, accounting for 42% of his earned runs in those two trips to the mound (just 5.2% of his total appearances).
That clearly doesn’t make the bottom-line results any more palatable, but it’s preferable to have a reliever who’s had a handful of awful outings as opposed to one who’s prone to giving up a run or two every other time out. With Craig Kimbrel currently in a rough patch and Danny Coulombe on the 60-day injured list, Dominguez could find himself in some leverage situations.
Like Hays, Dominguez can be controlled through the 2025 season — but the choice is at the team’s discretion. He’s playing out the second season of a two-year, $7.25MM contract that covered his final two arbitration seasons and includes a club option for what would’ve been his first free-agent year. The O’s will hold an $8MM club option over Dominguez that comes with a $500K buyout — effectively rendering it a net $7.5MM decision. If he can rebound to his prior form following the swap, that could prove to be a palatable price point even for what’s typically been a frugal Orioles club (albeit under their now-former ownership).
Baltimore will also add Pache to its bench mix. It’s an offensive downgrade, as the 25-year-old is hitting only .202/.288/.269 in 118 plate appearances and carries a .179/.243/.272 slash in parts of five MLB seasons. That said, Pache is a lights-out defender who’s been credited with a dozen Defensive Runs Saved and 16 Outs Above Average in just 1334 career innings in the outfield. He’s a plus-plus defender in center field, offering the O’s a more true fourth outfielder than Hays did, but he can certainly play strong corner defense as well.
Pache is out of minor league options, so he can’t be sent to the minors without first being designated for assignment and exposed to waivers. As such, he’ll need to stick on Baltimore’s roster. For a team that’s a near-lock to make the postseason, this type of outfielder — light hitting, plus defense, good speed — is a particularly useful asset.
Pache is earning just north of the league minimum this season. Dominguez is being paid $4.25MM and has the $500K buyout on his option. The swap is close to cash-neutral, but the Phillies will be taking on about $297K in additional payroll. When factoring in their luxury tax status, the trade will cost them about $481K overall.
As a result of this swap, the 26-year-old Stoudt will be designated for assignment for the third time this season. He’s bounced from the Reds, to the Mariners (his original organization), to the Orioles via a series of waiver claims. Stoudt allowed 11 runs in 10 1/3 innings during last year’s MLB debut with Cincinnati. He was one of four players the Mariners sent to the Reds in the Luis Castillo blockbuster two seasons ago.
A former third-round pick, Stoudt ranked among the top 20 prospects in both the Mariners’ and Reds’ systems from 2021-23. He’s worked primarily as a starter in the minors, but the O’s put him in their Double-A bullpen after claiming him. He’s posted a 4.26 ERA in 12 2/3 innings in that role but also walked 12.1% of his opponents, continuing some longstanding command issues. The Orioles can trade Stoudt until Tuesday’s deadline. Failing that, he’ll likely be placed on outright waivers.
Like it! Good start for DD!
Hays is basically replacement level this year. You don’t have something better in your system somewhere?
No. They are literally upgrading Pache’s spot, a RHH OF to platoon with Marsh, while also shedding some of Dominguez’s salary. It’s not like an earth shattering move but it improves the roster.
only need him to platoon, if he can hit lefties he’s exactly who phillies need. but now they need to deal for 1 or 2 BP arms with one being a stud
Bad start for Dumbrowski but predictable.
Dumbrowski? He literally wins everywhere he goes. Florida, Detroit, Boston, Philly. If you dislike his win now philosophy then thats a decent argument but i personally dont care about prospects. On a win now team he consistently goes for it. He’s won 2 championships in his career and a number of pennants. He is going to Cooperstown as a gm.
I agree. Detroit and Boston should have never let him go. He has been shown to be a good prospect evaluator to so it would be interesting to watch him do a rebuild.
Actually the farm system has improved during his tenure as well. It’s ok though to trade prospects for players that put you over the top
I agree, most prospects don’t pan out.
dombrowski is hated by fans who enjoy hugging prospects and loved by fans who enjoy winning championships
Well said!
he traded a defensive of who can’t hit and an avg bullpen piece for a guy who has shown he can hit for power and just has been squeezed by he Os system (and some health issues).
if this is a loss in your eyes, you need to pick a different sport
Or change eye specialist
How so? If you’re gonna have a take like this, explain your reasoning – otherwise, you’re just a troll
He’s just a troll.
Agreed, this is NOT youtube and ANY click or reply gets the algorithm moving……
Dude is just a lame troll….
You mean the guy that’s taken 4 teams to the World Series with 2 wins? That dumb guy?
Good deal for both teams.
I really like this trade for both teams because it addresses specific needs, of course. But, I think many are overlooking the potential with Hays because of his HOME numbers decline, which in large part is due to the LF fence in Baltimore, imho.
For instance, he has nearly identical games played home and away, with 82 & 75 respectively, but Hays’ away numbers are substantially better with his slash line at: 280/360/.493/.854
No doubt DD is a phenomenal GM/PoBO. I think this could be a very impressive acquisition for what appears to be the best team in baseball right now.
Good move here for PHI
Just a roster clearing move for the Os bench
Not really because the Os added Pache.
For now but Pache gives the O’s a backup CF in case they trade Mullins or do some unlikely mega deal that involves Cowser
No way this .200 hitter stays on the team. He was just a throw in.
The addition of Pache tells me that another move is coming with the O’s outfield — possibly Mullins.
I dont think so. Pache only makes sense if they plan to platoon him in CF with Mullins. If the plan was to move Mullins and have Cowser take over CF then I dont see why he makes sense because Cowser can still hit lefties better than Pache.
I think it will be a platoon in CF because both Mullins and Pache have significant platoon splits.
Mullins 102 wRC+ vs RHP, 5 wRC+ vs LHP.
Pache -6 wRC+ vs RHP, 92 wRC+ vs LHP
If they move Mullins and have Cowser take over, Pache slots in as a solid bench OF glove. A role best given to a guy like him, who is solid defensively and you don’t care how many reps he gets, as opposed to one of the younger upside guys, who needs to play every day even if that means they stay in AAA.
Wrong, the Orioles traded one player for two players with no options. It is the opposite f what you were thinking.
I like this deal for Philly, hays is going to platoon well with marsh
Also good for Baltimore, now kjerstad has a clear path for consistent playing time and they added an above average reliever
Don’t know what’s going to happen with pache…
4.75 is above average?
ERA isn’t the best way to measure relief pitching talent.
Well sell me then. FIP isn’t much better. WHIP isn’t great. Recently allowed 4 runs in an inning to Oakland.
@just_thinkin. Oakland has been on a tear after they scored 18 on the Phillies they put a hurting on the angels. Close to 60 runs in three games. The angels just swept the mariners. So I would say the a’s are hot right now.
true but nothing with SD is screaming above avg.
Yep. Personally watched Dominguez blow (and lose) 3 games I attended this season.
While he contributed to more losses this season, The three that I mention were solely on his shoulders. Lack of command, getting deep in counts, throwing meatballs and spiking pitches in critical situations. He is nowhere near the reliver he uased to be.
Perhaps a change of scenary and a new pitching coach will help him.
When I read comments like this on this site, I wonder if the person even read the article. Anyway, his metrics as mentioned in said article look pretty darn good to me. Sorry you went to 3 games and he didn’t do well. I’m sure if he had known you were there he would’ve pitched better.
I didn’t have to read the article, I’ve been watching Dominguez since he made his debut.
His stats might look strong to you, but to anyone who’s watched him, espcially recently, knows about his struggles all to well.
Agree. Is he any better than the DFA’s we picked up, Smith and Nittoli?
Yes, he’s much better than Nittoli lol
Imagine judging a pitcher based off 1/2 a season…. Such a casual take lol
Nonsense
He’s a defensive sub, pinch runner and RH OF. They had no RH OF in MLB or AAA other than Austin. Probably a replacement of Hays in his current role, with upside.
Looks like a nice trade for both teams. Both trading from a deep position for one they need depth in.
You don’t watch the philles.
Do YOU??? Phils needed a RH Platoon partner with Marsh and Hays fills that role much better than Pache. By moving Seranthony, the Phils opened a spot in the Pen that the Phil’s Front Office feels confident that can upgrade in a follow up trade in a few days.
Long-Term I believe the Phil’s think Marsh can/will be an Everyday player so they were not looking for more than Platoon situation than a potential star.
If the Phil’s do not make further moves to add an Arm after trading Seranthony, then yes I will question the trade but his Seranthony’s name far surpasses in pitching so I have full faith they will upgrade his spot in the Pen as well.
Looks like a trade spare parts for both teams.
I’ll miss Hays
Yeah most O’s fans will miss him, but too many other outfield options in the system and he just got hurt too much. I think it’s a good move for both teams.
I don’t like this trade at all. Phillies needed to go bigger for OF help. They’re making the same mistake the 2001 Mariners made. He’ll help with the platoon, but he’s not as exciting as some of the other options out there. I really don’t think this is a huge upgrade, and Dominguez has upside for sure.
In terms of value, it’s a good trade for both teams. I just don’t think this was the answer for Philly. I wanted them to go bigger (and obviously give up more).
Hays hits leftys well and Marsh hits righty’s well. Good move for Phils overall. Plus Pache is addition by subtraction. Ser will easily be replaced with a better option via trade. Just let DD cook.
Bet you the BP arm that DD bring in is Estevez from LAA. That’s a great upgrade over Dominguez if that happens and it’s a rental that won’t break the bank or the farm.
March doesn’t hit anything well, a.179 career Ba!
Don’t know if you meant Marsh or Pache but either way you’re wrong.
Wow purple and I finally agree !!
They were always looking for a better platoon guy for Marsh. I still think they’ll get a bigger bat for CF.
If they get another OF, then I’ll take it back. I’m terrified that this is the only OF improvement they’ll make. Hays has a 0.2 WAR. He’s not better than Dahl or Wilson tbh.
Again, it’s not about what the Phillies lost (although Dominguez has closer potential) it’s about not going big enough. A platoon of Hays/Marsh doesn’t excite me at all.
The AustinPurpleHays era begins in Philly
And he’ll be wearing #9
Haha. Time to change my username.
Hays isn’t better than David Dahl?? Ummm what????
No you have the ‘e’
Austin Hays is hitting .330 against lefties, and that seems what Phillies fans are excited about. Well Weston Wilson is hitting .333 against lefties. No one is excited about him, nor should they be. That’s my point. Anyone can make stats sing. Hays is a replacement-level player at this stage. This was a spare parts trade that doesn’t move the needle.
As if every trade needs to involve impact players. Imagine thinking Weston Wilson is anywhere near as good as Hayes. Hayes is much more than a replacement level player lol what a casual take
That would be my issue as well. Hays is better than what they have and Pache was the same player as Rojas.
But if this is their righty move, is it enough? If you ignore the OPS, then against righties, he has one HR in 64 ABs with a 21/5 K/W.
It’s less than it looks like.
You’re not getting my point. Not every move needs to be an impact move, but the Phillies absolutely needed an impact OF bat. Hays isn’t it.
0.2 WAR is literally a replacement level player.
It strikes me as an interim move to get a better RHP race going in the pen between existing assets, or to open up the potential for an external acquisition to put someone in the Kimbrel role from last year.
In the OF you get rid of anemic Pache, who was useful before Rojas, but redundant now. In Hays you get someone with a longer MLB track record than Weston. WW’s 2024 sample size against LHP is 11 plate appearances. You pay $900K (after the lux tax hit) for the reshuffle.
Ser was the best talent asset moving teams but we all know how weak his mental toughness is. His shoe could come untied and he’d have a mental break down on the hill.
VonPurpleHayes – Hays has a long track record of being better than a replacement player. Most of his bad results come from early in the year because he had an injury in spring training and then a second injury that he missed time for. Since coming back from injury he has an 0.872 OPS.
Hays has a much more extensive history than Wilson who has barely played in the majors.
I think there are more big moves coming. It’s kind of like judging Howie’s draft after one pick. DD has a plan.
Von;
DD got him at a discount.
Have seen him play a lot. Ignore his WAR this year. He’s been used sparingly and hasn’t gotten into rhythm. He’s a clutch player and clutch hitter. Quality.
Important point….
He was playing LF for the O’s partially because Mullins was in CF, and partially because the Orioles moved the LF fence back a few years ago. That LF at Camden Yards is the biggest LF in MLB. Hays has above average speed and a strong arm. He played it well (I have major concerns about Heston Kjerstad trying to play that position at Camden Yards). What I’m saying here is this – Hays can also play CF. He’s not a stiff against RH pitchers. I expect we’ll be seeing both Hays and Marsh playing CF and LF at the same time. Austin Hays is not a platoon player.
No it isn’t. It just means he played like a replacement level player for the first half of this season. It says absolutely NOTHING about what he will be going forward. You are not trading for him in April, so those stats don’t matter at all.
Sample SIze…..He has a CAREER TOTAL of 20 PAs against lefties and his overall OPS is terrible.
Hays has nearly 700 and unlike Wilson is not horrid against righties.
I think the big trade is coming for bullpen help. Tanner Scott? I think that is where we shed some of the minor league talent… Not sure if we are done upgrading the outfield either…..
@philly 6 i saw something earlier they were in on estevez.
Rex…. yep..saw that too.. Forgot about him…. Maybe something with Estevez and Pillar / Ward?
@philly 6 his price is climbing been lights out the last two months. Especially with Miller off the market might be a nice haul
Right. I agree they’ll get bullpen help, but this offense isn’t good enough as is. It’s starting to show.
But Von, JT Realmuto is only back 3 games and hasn’t gotten his rhythm back yet. This trade for Hayes gives them more late inning maneuverability where you won’t be stuck with Marsh against a lefty in a crucial situation.
Hays could pop one out of the park. Pache not!
My criticism of the offense is limited to the OF because it’s easily fixable via trade.. The stars are going to get hot and cold. You got to ride the waves. Stott is dissapointing, but again, ride the wave, There’s no reason to have Rojas in a starting lineup.
Tanner Scott walks a lot of batters – 5.1 per 9 innings for his career. It’s 5.2 this year. 2023 is the only season that Scott had an acceptable walk rate. Phils’ coaches can probably help him with that, but it’s a bit late in the year to try to fix a guy. I’d rather have someone with better command for late inning/high pressure relief…
Hays is no longer a CF. He can play some CF but he’s not a regular option out there. Hays has lost a lot of foot speed since he came up.
Fair trade on paper, but not sure that it helps either team. Maybe Philly flips Hays with a prospect(s) for something better in the coming days. Dominguez is another arm in the O’s pen, but he’s not as reliable as he used to be. Hopefully, both teams are doing more than this…
Phillies will have to get a reliever now since they are trading away Dominguez. This is just the start.of trading season.
Best guess is that the price was simply too high for the bigger improvements. I am willing to cross my fingers and hope that the platoon works for the Phils, while they expend some prospect capital for the pen.
I’m not trading top prospects for streaky players and players whose makeup they already have.
Pretty solid trade for both teams. Add some depth without subtracting anything of real value.
Added depth by trading depth.
Wrong
Astute analysis.
Now Baltimore can watch Kimbrel and Seranthony blow critical games for them in the playoffs. Baltimore is going nowhere with this bullpen.
Hays is meh I could see Baltimore fixing Dominquez
Hays was an All Star last year. The Calf Strain he had in the beginning of the season that kept him out plus platooning could be a determining factor why he’s been struggling. Kevin Long will work with him and I think he will improve. Phillies aren’t done yet.
The reason he struggled early was an injury in spring training kept him from getting AB’s until season started. He had a 0.311 OPS in his first 50 plate appearances because he didnt have the ramp up period. After that initial stretch and going back on IL he has hit 0.872 since then.
Hope this doesn’t come back to haunt the O’s in the postseason.. Hays may not have a ton of value, but we’re basically giving him away.
Bwaaaaaaa
Y’all are serious this pumped for Austin Hays?
The DD cult is alive and well.
Not me. I’m extremely disappointed. They needed to go bigger.
DD is pretty sharp. Maybe the options were poor, didn’t want Pham, Robert too much of luxury to part with top flight prospects.
Bullpen upgrades the main focus he is zoned in on with his trade chips?
If they don’t improve that OF offense, they’re not going anywhere in the playoffs. They’ve had automatic outs in their lineup all season.
Offense is down all over baseball. Most teams, even the good ones, are carrying some severely underperforming hitters in starting roles.
The Phillies are better off than most as long as they stay healthy.
I’m kind of shocked at your negative outlook….The line up has been missing Turner, Realmuto, Harper at times….. They have a strong line-up when all are healthy. Line up stretches out when everyone is there…. Don’t get me wrong, streaky at times for sure. But all teams are. I’m not entirely sold that they are set in CF with Rojas. I follow many of your posts and always appreciate your take on the Phillies. I can easily see Scott, Finnegan being added..not both. I’m not huge on Robert because of price. But that would be intriguing. Let’s see where we are at after deadline.
It’s the OF in particular that’s the issue.
Von..reading further into this … how about Angels trade: Estevez and one of Ward / Pillar added to the team? Subtracts Rojas and Pache from everyday play, adds Hays and Pillar / Ward with Marsh for CF and LF. Casty stays in RF. I think we have to live with RF as is… and devil is in the details, but assuming the pieces back to Angels aren’t crippling…
If you owned a Lamborghini, I think you’d complain that the tire stems aren’t your favorite color.
This Philly team is stacked, and just because you don’t have an All Star everywhere is no reason to be dissatisfied; they’re a likely favorite in the postseason.
It’s not a negative outlook. I really enjoy this team. I just think, their window is short. They are old. This is the best chance they’ll ever have. They have a very clear weakness in OF. And they settle for Austin Hays.
DD has done a great job of not giving up prospects so far, but the time was now. Honestly, not a lot of relievers out there excite me. And it seems clear to me, that they’ll be focusing on pen upgrades over OF bats. And I think that’s a mistake.
@philly 6 I wouldn’t be surprised because I was thinking the angels could take a look at hays. Pillar is gone. Moniak/ adell hasn’t really show improvements. Ward was a trade target but he’s slumping not worth the move.what about pillar and garcia for hays and a food stamp.
I don’t know much about Hays, BUT Pache and Merrifield have been a large portion of the automatic outs that you’re talking about. Those two have been replaced with Hays and Wilson for now. Maybe DD isn’t done out there, but I’ll reserve judgement until I see how a platoon works with Marsh.
It may work out great. As long as Realmuto gets back to being Realmuto and Stott gets back to being Stott, I can live with Rojas playing great defense and moving runners along. What drives me nuts is when he finally gets a hit and then gets picked off first base.
Did you see what the Mariners paid for Randy? 12th & 22nd guy in their Prospect Pool. That would have been equivalent to The Phillies trading Carlos De La Cruz & Michael Mercado to The Ray’s for Randy Areozena who has been playing much better lately and would have been a huge upgrade over Rojas. I’m sure The Phillies aren’t done yet but I’m disappointed we missed out on that.
I agree with this entirely
Arozarena(spelled it wrong.. wouldnt let me edit due to page reloaded ughh)
Castellanos isn’t going anywhere. So you’re talking about Rojas. You say bigger, but who do you want them to go after? Robert? I don’t know what the White Sox are asking, but it’s going to be substantial. I think they needed another bullpen arm before trading Dominguez. Now I’m certain they do. Maybe they’re going to go bigger in the back end of the pen. I trust DD. He has to weigh his options and with so many teams still in the wildcard race, there isn’t as many teams trading big time pieces. I am not against trading prospects but I think there are a couple that I would not trade. Crawford is in AA. He’s not that far away. And we’re going to need controllable pieces in the very near future if you want to pay Bohm and/or Stott
And as we all know, the 12th and 22nd prospects in each teams system are always identical. The fact that the Mariners have the best farm system in baseball is completely irrelevant.
I wanted Arozarena too, but the Phillies would be dealing from way higher on their prospect ladder then the Ms.
I’m not sure I totally agree. I think for the reasons I said in an earlier post about Pache and Merrifield not being here anymore. There was a fair number of at bats between the two of them in the first half trying to platoon with Marsh. The question is, is Hays an upgrade over what those two provided. His numbers against lefties suggest so, we’ll see. I do agree that this is the window to go for it, but I think I’d lean more toward the arms. Maybe even another starter. What wins in the post season is pitching and defense and generally defense up the middle. Yes, the Phillies bats went cold last year against Arizona. Why? Because of their pitching, they adjusted and we did not. And their defense was pretty good too, as I remember.
Rojas, Stott and Marsh have also been pretty ineffective. Even against righties, Marsh is 0 for his last 20+. The Phillies stars are fine. They get hot and cold. But the Phillies are carried by their older FA stars, and they haven’t gotten much out of their youth (outside of Bohm).
Hays addresses the Marsh platoon. It doesn’t address Rojas at all.
@MaxP Prior to my orginal comment I did research into Seattles & Phillys farm systems and they are not far off. Fangraphs has Philly farm system ranked at 14 with Seattle at 12. Philly has 5 players in the top 100 & Seattle has 6 with Tyler Locklear already getting MLB at bats. I was using De La Cruz & Mercado as an example and its obvious that I know both farm systems aren’t identical. My point which you obviously missed was Seattle acquired Arozarena without giving away anything significant. I believe The Phillies could have made a better attractive offer to Tampa without giving away anything significant.
I like this trade for PHI Hays will help alot. Adds more than his stats, experience, intangibles
PHI can win a World series IMHO IF they upgrade their bullpen.
Any preferences over N. Martinez (SP& RP), Scott, Estevez, Kopech, Finnegan
A step down Montero, (Richards, Green TOR), Neris, Leclerc
Getting another OF or swapping out for Hays would help also.
BAL crashes and burns in the playoffs AGAIN IF they don’t get a Closer to upgrade from Kimbrel. Targets being the same names above
BAL desperately have to have a C+/B- starter.
I like Fedde. He should cost a little less BUT price probably hurts.
Players with Japanese, Korean, Mexican league experience etc. often have good success and sort of reinvent themselves. A different approach – add or subtract a pitch a better mental mindset etc.
There are NO guarantees.
OF course what you have to give up is important
We’all is interested in seein’ how it works out.
Orioles are delusional going into the postseason with Kimbrel and Seranthony at the back of the pen. Call it a recipe for disaster aka suicide mission.
It didn’t work for the Phillies in the NLCS with Kimbrel and Dominguez last yr. Maybe Baltimore gets lucky but I think you’ve seen better days in the rear view mirror for Dominguez. Kimbrel is what he is, previously great and currently mediocre.
Yeah it’s almost like the Orioles stopped watching the postseason after they were eliminated. How could you see what happened to Philadelphia and say to yourself “I want to bring back that bullpen to Baltimore in 2024 Yee Hah!”
This is a good deal for the Phillies. Seranthony had completely lost his mojo, and Pache and Rojas have been redundant all year. Hays can play against both lefties and righties and it allows them to play Marsh in center with Hays in left. It also shows they really don’t want to deal prospects if they can help it.
Well give the Phillies the trophy now. What an incredible pickup. I mean the great Austin Hays. A game changer.
Win win trade.
Phils werent going to pick up that option for Seranthony anyway, but not thrilled about Hays. Guess the Phils will be picking up a reliever or two elsewhere to make SD expendible.
i guess Phils fans can call him Austin “Two for One” Hays.
This is a good callback.
The Phillies are done. This was their big move. The team is set.
Na they are going to get a bullpen arm to replace Dominguez
Pache has been a complete bust
His skill set will get him onto a playoff roster for years to come. Contenders need a defensive replacement/pinch runner on the bench
And again, the Os goes cheap prospect wise. So desperate to keep Norfolk winning games they settle for Dominguez, who has not been good since 2022 (with a combined 4.19 ERA and even worse 4.59 FIP over the last 2 years). Too bad they couldn’t get Dylan Covey thrown in so they could have more of the ’23 Phils bullpen scraps (to go along with Kimbrel).
Flyball pitcher in OPACY makes sense. His FIP is a full run lower than his ERA. Dominguez could be as good as any available reliever at the deadline.
Quite a daft comment seeing as it’s Friday and the trade deadline is on Wednesday. Let’s revisit your point then. Also, you apparently just watch the box score and not the games. SD’s metrics are very good, and as for Kimbrel, he has been one of the best closers in the AL OVERALL. He’s had a few hiccups sure, the latest ones due to the team playing like complete garbage in July and giving him very infrequent save opportunities.
Of course I don’t watch all of the Phillies or Os games, I’m a sad White Sox fan and am mostly depressed after watching my own teams games. But please tell me you aren’t talking about the dreaded ‘eye test’? Because I can see the numbers and I don’t have to watch a pitcher pitch to know how he’s pitching. I mentioned it in my initial post – Dominguez’s numbers aren’t good when looking over the last two years. I’ll give you Kimbrel if you want as you’re right, he hasn’t been bad, but man he would scare me (as he did as the Sox closer).
Kimbrel starting that post ASB swoon you alluded to right on cue. They can grab a good closer or whatever they want with ease if they don’t keep thinking sellers will settle on its next tier prospects below Norby.
Hays is a gawd!
Dumbrowski goes cheap what a shock.
Added more luxury tax and didn’t give up any prospects. It’s not Tuesday yet.
Phils got a good player for minimum cost. Really good move.
Good player? 0.2 WAR.
Compared to Dominguez’s -0.2 it’s a bargain.
WAR for relievers is sort of useless.
As it is for a platoon player who started the season playing with a bad calf before an extended injury spell since when, he’s hit very well.
I like this fit for Seranthony. He throws enough strikes and has good stuff (123 stuff+). The Orioles have done really well with guys coming in with much lesser prior results.
I will take the philles organizational assessment of a pitcher over the orioles kid. You dig.
Then you don’t know much about anything. You dig.
If this is a “first of a few moves” thing for the Phils, I like it.
Ditto for Baltimore. Hoping “first of few moves” for them too. It’s gotta be.
Still overcrowded in OF. So they moved a corner guy. Next CF? Cowser or Mullins going as part of a package for an SP? Pache as d specialist makes sense here.
They seriously traded hays for a reliever with an ERA close 5.00? With an $8 million option next year? The hell is wrong with them? Hays is an every day outfielder with another year of control
Hays is not an everyday outfielder, though. He’s a short side platoon player.
He’s 100% an every day outfielder. He was an every day guy before this year. The only reason why Baltimore didn’t play him every day this season is because they have too many players an better options
This is a trade a pretender makes. Dumbrowski builds a championship roster at the cost of 250 million plus,then leaves a gaping hole in the lineup. The philles have not replaced Hoskins power. They need a legitimate right handed power bat. They must have a legitimate closer. If not forget a ring.
You do know that the trade deadline is not today, right?
Flag yourself
Then why doesn’t he play every day?
Look I like Hays he was involved in the community.But he is injury prone and 12 to 18 homeruns and 60 70 rbi and .260 avg is what you gonna get maybe and 21.7% strikeout rate..We got Heston Hjerstad that will hit for more power and is cheaper and younger and Cowser also so by far they will be better than Hays.See a major league hitter should be able to hit 384 foot Homer’s.
THE KITCHEN IS ON FIRE BOYS
Weird
Pache is now the Orioles’ only RH hitting outfielder (not counting Santander being a switch hitter). Something else would have to be coming as Pache hits .130 versus lefties and hits no better than Hays versus righties (..240 with a sub .400 SLG)
Another arm for the ‘pen is a plus. Until this year Dominguez was very effective and the Orioles are good at fixing things like that.
Lucky to get anything for Hays who was in a full year slump until the last few weeks and has an injury history.
Not entirely true. Connor Norby is up with the big club now. Righty who has played 40+ games in the corner OF at AAA this season. O’s will have options against LHP, if they move Norby to a corner spot, Westburg to 2B and then Urías/Mayo at 3B. There will still be a roster “crunch” that provides flexibility. My guess is Pache doesn’t last long.
I doubt they keep Pache.
Pache is Mullins’ new full-time platoon partner in CF.
Career OPS of .698 against LHPs, which is a marked improvement over Mullins’ genuinely unplayable .381 OPS against lefties so far here in 2024.
Yep. Pache also has a stellar glove.
Love his d but sure does strike out a lot.
Fair trade on paper, but not sure that it helps either team. Maybe Philly flips Hays with a prospect(s) for something better in the coming days. Dominguez is another arm in the O’s pen, but he’s not as reliable as he used to be. Hopefully, both teams are doing more than this…
Hays is a platoon fit in Philly ( he hits Lefties well) and add will be adding a quality RP very soon. Pache can’t hit and Dominguez has lost his edge.
Spellcheck changed DD to add
Personally I would have traded Austin Hays for a bag of baseballs. This move clears obstacles for the younger outfielders they have that are ready. Well done O’s
This moves the needle for neither team. They exchanged spare parts.
This trade sounds like the Phillies have another trade that is basically done but not yet announced for a Reliever. By trading two players for one, they opened a spot to add a reliever. Most likely they will add a reliever for prospects they view as an upgraded over Seranthony. Well upgrade over his pitching….It’s really a hard NAME to top….
Agreed…. reliever coming in now for sure. Finnegan? Scott?
Tough to see Ser A go, but this makes sense here.
He was a love hate player. I loved him when he put his cup on and pitched with aggression and purpose. I hated him when he’d pucker up into his feelings and melt down into giving up big innings. He was the succcesor to Neris in that role. Now I will have to put it on Soto.
Hays will fit in well in Philly. He plays hard and appears to be a great clubhouse guy. He can get super hot at the plate anytime and carry a lineup. Good defense with a monster arm
seems like selling low on Hays
As an O’s fan, I see it as killing two birds with one fairly expendable stone- we add an electric arm to our bullpen and a CF that hits lefties a lot better than Mullins. They are not flashy upgrades, but they are still upgrades, all for 1.5 expensive years of Austin Hays, who was being pushed out of playing time by top prospects the likes of Cowser, Kjerstad, and Stowers anyway.
Pache doesn’t hit anything better then anyone. He can run and defend though.
Mullins has a .381 OPS vs. LHPs this year. He’s completely helpless against them.
Pache is an improvement in that specific area.
Yes. Oddly enough the Orioles get their very own Rojas in Pache. Pache was redundant in Philly.
As bad as Pache is versus lefties….it’s better than Mullins.
The key to being a GM is making small improvements where you can. The O’s helped their CF Platoon and the Phil’s improved their Marsh Platoon.
While the Phil’s Pen is a little worse today, I fully expect them to use Prospects to trade for an Upgrade over Seranthony.
Love this move for Phillies the asking price for relief pitching is insane right now AJ puk traded for 8th and I believe 15th ranked prospect in D-backs system now Dominguez for a all star OF
I guess this means no Rooker?
They were never in a Rooker. He’s a DH. Not a fit.
He plays some outfield and there was lots of stories I read they wanted him. He definitely would make your lineup a monster.
He hasn’t played an inning of OF in 2 months. Because he can’t.
I’m gonna miss Ser. He burst onto the scene for not-so-good Phillies teams (2018/2019) and looked to be the next guy we could center our bullpen around. Then he got hurt, and while he had is ups and downs, he never quite found that stuff again (particularly, with his slider) and he became a somewhat predictable pitcher (relying heavily on the sinker). And he did a solid job for the last 4 years.
If the Orioles can get him to re-discover that slider, and make it work as effectively as it was pre-surgery, it should be a great move for them.
Hays seems to be a useful piece (as a platoon bat) and I saw somewhere else say that he got really sick in ST, lost a bunch of weight, which likely contributed to his early season struggles – but since coming off the injury, I like how the stats look.
It does seem like a mutually beneficial trade for the present.
His Slider is still great (.143 BA against, better then last year’s .173) and he’s been using far more than he did last year. Heck, he uses it more then his Sinker now (40% Slider usage vs 19.3% Sinker usage).
Only issue really has been his GB rate has dropped and barrel rate has picked up. That’s a recipe for more XBH, which has been the case (.308 SLG vs Slider last year, .397 this year. His higher usage of the pitch might be contributing to this as well).
Side note: baseball savant/Statcast has Dominguez having a 3.25 xERA. Should be interesting to see which way his ERA actually heads after this trade.
Fair point. I was more comparing the slider (and the nastiness of it) now (including last year) vs. pre-surgery (2018/2019).
Pre-surgery, it was an insane pitch (34 inches of vertical drop, a .175 SLG against, .185 xSLG against, and 18% hard hit rate).
He did not (really) throw a sinker pre-surgery. He threw a 4 seam and slider about 90% of the time. The sinker and change were show me pitches.
I don’t know if he learned a different sinker in his rehab or was more comfortable throwing it, but for 22/23, he was a 4 seam, sinker, slider pitcher (40/30/25, roughly).
This year, there has been a deliberate effort for him to throw his slider more (he’s up to a 40/40 split between it and the 4 seam). Maybe he’s just now feeling comfortable with it again, I don’t know. But even now, the BAA is great – but the SLGA isn’t there. And it’s probably not fair to compare his arm now to 5/6 years ago.
As good as the slider has been this year (it’s a plus pitch, for sure), it’s not what it was before (now, only 29 inches of vertical drop, .400 SLG against, .300 xSLG against, and a 28% hard hit rate).
Damn, Hays was one of the longest-tenured Orioles. Sucks to see him go but the positional logjam had to break somewhere sooner or later, and now Kjerstad and/or Stowers should get some more ABs, which is long overdue.
Excited to see what we can get out of Dominguez and his electric arm, and the $8 million 2025 team option is a nice bonus. Seems like a pretty good buy-buy trade for two legit World Series contenders.
Oh, and sure, welcome aboard Christian Pache while we’re at it!
Welp, I guess it’s Mayo/Basallo + all minor leaguers for Crochet/Skubal, no Kjerstad or Cowser. 😉
Win Win
It helps Philly because they don’t have to run Dominguez out there anymore
I’m going miss Austin, but something eventually had to give. We have a surplus of outfielders. In Elias I trust! Now we just need to get another infielder after Hip-Hip-Jorge going on the IL and another starter to fit in behind Burnes and Rodriguez. I’m all for ending the Suarez experiment, and please no reunion with Fuji.
Would Aroldis Chapman and a random mid level prospect pitcher have been a better return for the O’s?
WTF are they gonna do with Pache?
I don’t think so, Pache is a bit of welcome CF depth with Mullins struggling so badly this year. Maybe the 2 of them platoon the rest of the year? Either way, I quite like this deal as an O’s fan.
I think this deal might set up other scenarios, where the Os could deal players like Mullins, without a drop-off in defense in OF.
Chapman walks nearly one batter per inning…
Agreed.. but his track record is good and he wins WS
NOBODY RUNS ON AUSTIN HAYS!
Gonna miss that Defense!
Great for both sides.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Hays finds his power stroke again in Philly. The surprising thing is someone was willing to take Pache–even as a throw in (wonder how much soda that cost DD)
CF depth. Mullins is having a very poor year and now maybe they can run a platoon out there to offset it somewhat.
2 CF that totally can’t hit.
I don’t think the O’s would touch Chapman. O’d tend to stay away from players with baggage. I understand the incident with him was in 2015 and no charges were ever filed, but I don’t see thr O’s having interest in Chapman. Also, MA would not be an upgrade over Hays, so I don’t think the O’s would have had any interest there, even though he has the speed (but he’s 33 and can’t hit.
This is an excellent trade. Pache has never done anything at the plate and Seranthony seems lost this year. Hays definitely fills a need and obviously DD will be adding a stronger RP soon.
Phillies fans – why 0 steals for Pache? Doesn’t he have good speed? You’d think he’d be a speed/defense guy.
To steal bases you must first be able to get on base…
Just thinkin – Pache defense is very good. Doesn’t get on base enough to use his speed on the bases….
So I looked, he had 15 singles this year and 13 walks.
Of those 15 singles, after his singles, there was a runner on 2nd base 6 times. So his hits only produced 9 SB opportunities.
Of the 13 walks, after his walk, there was a runner on 2nd base 7 times. So his walks only produced 6 SB opportunities.
And he reached on a FC 1 time, with no one on 2nd base.
So, he only had 16 opportunities to steal bases.
And I will guess, 14 of those (my estimate, based on batting order), Schwarber was at the plate, and no one would want him to take away that hole at 1st by stealing.
CHALLENGE TRADE
Sort of, although I would characterize it as “buy-buy.”
Honestly, I would have been happy with just Dominguez for Hays, getting Pache to platoon with Mullins in CF is a nice cherry on top that should improve the team a bit more on the margins, and every little bit helps.
I had this a couple days ago and was offering way too much in Taijuan Walker. Win win happy for Phillies
This is a minor trade. Let me repeat that for any fans that can’t except a critical opinion of their team; this is a minor trade..and the Phillies look just slightly better for it.
By measurement of WAR, the Phillies won this trade. They traded a pitcher with negative WAR and another player with zero WAR for an OF with at least positive WAR however negligible it may look.
The Phillies won this trade by measurement of roster space. I’ve read a few Orioles fans say this is what the Orioles just did but they took on two players. Perhaps they’ll stash these players in the minors for later? The Phillies won’t have to do that. You can use Hays to give a day off to an outfielder and not feel like you’re taking a big loss while I would feel differently if you did the same with Pache. At the moment it looks to me like Hays Bat>Paches glove.
The impact is small but it looks like Dombrowski got the better of this trade. It’s a minor frustration to me because I’m a Braves fan. The Braves are getting buried by the Phillies and the Phillies just added another spoon full of dirt on this 12 foot deep grave the Braves are in. That might be a little dramatic but it makes the point.
Pretty weak attemp by the Phils at improving the club. Trading mediocrity for mediocrity is a waste of time.
IMPROVE the club, just don’t shuffle the deck chairs on the titanic
That’s essentially my thoughts.
You mean the “Titanic” team with the best record in the MLB?
This is an ok trade. Helps somewhat with hitting considering he’ll platoon with Marsh & if Rohas falls off again, Hays will at least be a consistent decent starter & move Marsh over to Center. The thing that makes this trade seem better is how little the Phillies gave up. Seranthony has been one of the weaker bullpen arms this year & he was getting used less and less & Pache is maybe a decent backup someday but can’t be counted on right now.
It’s a lot better than the stupid Nats fans were saying it was gonna take to get a couple of their overrated players in Thomas & Flanagan. I rather have Hays over Thomas. He’s shown more consistency for a longer stretch than Thomas & Flanagan is having a career year. Not worth giving up a couple or more top prospects.
I would have put more on the table for Raymour and Flanagan.
I like this trade for both sides.
Also expect both to complete another trade or two.
Good enough return for Dominguez, a hard throwing reliever who did very well early in his career. For a few seasons now, he’s lost his command.
Pache showed brief signs of improvement at the plate but hasn’t done much overall. His defense is excellent.
Hays just has to continue his productivity against lefties to make this trade work out for the Phillies.. I’m sure they’re working on more significant trades.
Why would they have to DFA a guy off the 40 if they’re trading a guy who’s on the 40 anyway?
Love this move, had mentioned Austin Hays before as a great fit. He’s a Philly type player – hustles and plays the game right. Can hit lefties and play some CF if Rojas continues to struggle. Austin Hays is a modern day Aaron Rowand. The Phillies phaithful will love watching him play.
DD & Co. are not finished. They are hot for Kyle Finnegan and have spoken with the Angels about Carlos Estevez, Reid Detmers & Kevin Pillar.
I’ll say it…. Just not a good deal for the O’s. I mean heck, Braves prob would have given you a better deal for Hays. Phillies got a good deal here
Is Pache ever hit, he would be the perfect MLB centerfielder! Perhaps he finds it later like Jurickson Profar did.
He’s now on his 4th team waiting for that ‘potential’ , he is what he is a good fielder that hits the Mendoza line.
Austin Hayes gives the Phillies a instant upgrade in the outfield They’ve gotten no production out of their outfield
Pache seems too old at 25 for the O’s young core!
That’s why they want to get away from Mountcastle and Mullins. The younger they are, the least salary they have to pay! Hays was making $6.3M, while Pache is at 761K, so they get a slightly younger player than Hays at 29, but save $5.5M+ that will more than cover Dominguez salary. Pache is a better defender with speed but a weak hitter.
I think Hays is going to be better than the Phillies expect.
He’s really not been able to latch together more than consistent 3-4 games in a row together for the Os, because of being such a part-timer. His spotty appearances haven’t been due to his own performance really. The Os just have too many players who are younger, and need playing time. There’s been moments where he was pretty hot, and getting big hits. But the Os have not been able to get him ABs, even during the hot streaks.
He’s too good to be a straight defensive 4th OF too. He deserves a regular playing time shot.
Good trade for both teams. Hays should do well with the smaller dimensions. Dominguez can hopefully be a back of the pen arm. Pache…doesn’t sway the needle one or the other.
both managers: you’re being traded
both players: but i want chance to play in the world series!
both managers: you’re being traded to…
both players: oh, okay. cool
Thank you for your service Sir
I guess DD has been Jonesing for Hayes for over 2 years. He must really see something in him.
Come on, Adams. This sentence is a disaster: “Dominguez, similarly, is having a down season but sports a much better track record.” Similarly should START the sentence. Not only is it incorrect to have a conjunctive adverb in the middle of the sentence, it needlessly interrupts the flow of the sentence’s point. “Similarly, Dominguez is having a down season but sports a much better track record” reads much easier.