The Orioles have moved on from a longtime veteran leading up to the trade deadline, sending outfielder Austin Hays to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for right-hander Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache.
Hays, 29, has been a regular in Baltimore’s outfield since 2019. The former third-round pick in 2016 was a clubhouse leader, and in 2023 he was one of Baltimore’s four All-Star representatives after a first half in which he hit .314 with an .853 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Sending him to Philadelphia, one of the National League’s top teams, amounts to a major shakeup of the lineup and the clubhouse.
“He played so hard for all the years here in front of the fans,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “And the way he went about his business on a daily basis I have so much respect for. Nobody played harder. Nobody played more hurt. He was incredible in the clubhouse, unbelievable in the community, incredible in the charity work and incredible for our PR staff. I know he was wonderful to you guys. He just is a true pro, so to lose someone like that who we’re all close to, it’s tough. It’s tough. He’s a close friend for a lot of guys in that clubhouse.”
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In return, the Orioles received a reliever and outfielder who have had mixed results in 2024. Domínguez, under contract through the end of 2024 with a team option for 2025, holds a 4.75 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Pache is hitting .202 with a .557 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Pache’s career OPS is just .515.
With Domínguez, the Orioles are getting a reliever who throws at an average of 97.6 mph. He mostly throws a slider, a four-seam fastball and a sinker. Baltimore was in the market for pitching help, and Domínguez could bolster the bullpen.
His ERA is elevated, but Domínguez’s metrics on Statcast are good. A .213 expected batting average is in the 84th percentile, and Statcast notes his expected ERA is 3.25. Since May, Domínguez holds a 2.81 ERA.
“I’ve faced him numerous times in spring training and the regular season, and I know I’m looking forward to catching him and not having to hit off him,” catcher James McCann said.
Koby Perez, the Orioles’ international scouting director, helped sign Domínguez when Perez was part of the Phillies’ Latin American scouting department. The familiarity may have helped bring Domínguez to Baltimore.
“He’s pitched in high-leverage moments in the postseason, was a big part of their World Series team a couple years ago,” Hyde said. “We saw him earlier this year. He has an electric fastball and a really good slider. He’s had his up-and-down moments this season, but he’s somebody that we’re hoping can fit in the back end of our bullpen.”
Pache was once a highly touted prospect, but he hasn’t translated that to sustained major league success. He’s a high-caliber center fielder with speed, but his batting hasn’t kept pace. According to Statcast, his expected batting average is .187 this year. He holds a 36.4% strikeout rate.
Pache and Domínguez reported shortly before Friday’s game. They’ll wear Nos. 26 and 56, respectively.
This was the first move ahead of the July 30 trade deadline — later on Friday, the Orioles secured right-hander Zach Eflin — and it comes as somewhat of a surprise. Baltimore has a large farm system from which to work; instead, the Orioles moved a veteran player with another year of team control.
Perhaps that opens space for more playing time for outfielders Heston Kjerstad and Kyle Stowers.
Hays began the year in a massive slump, hitting .173 at the end of May. He also dealt with an illness in spring training that sapped him of energy and caused him to lose weight. But Hays has steadied his season. Since June, he’s hitting .329 with a .952 OPS.
Hays won his arbitration case against the Orioles last offseason and is making $6.3 million. He will undergo one more year of arbitration before hitting the open market. He was outspoken about wanting to remain in Baltimore for the rest of his career.
Francis Marquez, Hays’ agent at MAS+ Agency, told The Baltimore Banner last winter: “Unabashedly, Austin is an Oriole, and he feels that he is young enough and he’s good enough to be a member of the Orioles for a long time, not just the time that he has in the arbitration system. So I think in an ideal world, 100%, Austin Hays would like to be a player who just wears an Orioles uniform during his career.”
But Hays’ role in Baltimore diminished with the breakout play of rookie Colton Cowser.
Still, he was valued in the clubhouse for his hardworking nature and veteran leadership.
“He meant a lot,” said infielder Jordan Westburg, whose locker had been next to Hays’ since Westburg was promoted last year. “I’m not somebody who’s super talkative, so I probably should’ve reached out to him a little bit more at times and asked him, but he was a great teammate.”
“Austin plays the game the right way,” catcher Adley Rutschman said. “He plays hard. You can see it out on the field. It’s very easy to see. Guys definitely feed off that, and I think that’s the way our team tries to play the game.”
When McCann told his kids, Christian and Kane, that Hays had been traded, their first reaction was sadness that Hays’ kids, Levi and Hayden, won’t be around anymore.
“Something a lot of people don’t understand is those relationships that are built from a family standpoint,” McCann said. “Heck, we just spent the last two cities playing at the pool, with his kids and my kids all day long. Levi, Hayden, Christian, Kane, playing in the pool. That’s the tough part about this game.”
