As the Phillies attempt to remake their outfield, the decision not to tender Austin Hays a contract before Friday night’s deadline came with little surprise. Even if they thought he could fill a role as a lefty-mashing corner outfielder in 2025, they were not in a position to commit nearly $6 million to Hays without knowing the composition of the entire outfield.
So that closed the book on a rather forgettable summer trade by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who acquired Hays for a reliever (Seranthony Domínguez) whom Baltimore deemed worthy of exercising an $8 million option for next season. Domínguez had fallen down the Phillies’ trust tree. But Hays never cracked it.
A team source confirmed Hays’ departure, which was first reported by the New York Post.
When they acquired him in late July, the Phillies envisioned Hays as an everyday player. Numerous injuries derailed any chance of him contributing down the stretch. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the only postseason game he started. The Phillies could have aimed higher at last season’s trade deadline, although very few “impact-type” hitters were moved. They took a smaller gamble to fill a specific role. It flopped.
The next outfield transactions have become important. Dombrowski resisted an external addition at the trade deadline in 2023, did not pursue an outfielder to supplement the same group between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, then failed to land a suitable platoon partner for Brandon Marsh in the summer.
How they’ll remake the outfield remains a great unknown. The free-agent market, outside of Juan Soto, is not teeming with answers. The Phillies have not met with Soto’s camp, according to major-league sources. They are interested. Even if they meet and submit an offer later this offseason, they are not considered frontrunners to land him.
The center field pool is barren. The Phillies might return to a Marsh platoon with Johan Rojas there. Free-agent corner mashers such as Teoscar Hernández and Anthony Santander would be power upgrades but come with high swing-and-miss rates. The Phillies have an aggressive lineup and are looking for a better balance to it.
This is why they have been more active in pursuing trades. Nothing has yet to materialize. The Phillies, according to multiple major-league sources, have made Nick Castellanos available in trade talks. They’ve shopped numerous players — namely Alec Bohm and Ranger Suárez — to gauge other clubs’ interest; it’s not shocking they would be open to moving Castellanos.
But a trade is not likely unless the Phillies eat a large chunk of the remaining $40 million Castellanos’ contract. That would defeat one purpose of trading him elsewhere. Castellanos, for his flaws, has been available to play. He’s started 452 of a possible 486 regular-season games since joining the Phillies in 2022. That counts.
Nick Castellanos had a 106 OPS+ last season. He played in all 162 games. (Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)
The Phillies have ruled out a return to the outfield for Bryce Harper, who has found a home at first base. Their best outfield prospect, Justin Crawford, could use another year of development. The Phillies, according to major-league sources, have not excluded Crawford from trade talks. He would be moved only for a big-league player with multiple years of club control.
Whenever the Phillies have faced offseason conundrums, their best solution has been to throw money at them. It might not be that simple this time. These are different challenges for Dombrowski — none more perplexing than the outfield.
GO DEEPER
Phillies’ quest for Andrew Painter placeholder takes shape as club makes 40-man roster adds
GO DEEPER
John Middleton on Phillies’ need for change, the payroll, and 2 stories he’ll tell the players
(Photo of Austin Hays: Hunter Martin / Getty Images)
