The Philadelphia Phillies and Austin Hays don’t appear to be on good terms right now. Hays’ one half-season with the team in 2024 was filled with injuries and inconsistency, and lacked plate appearances (80 in over two months). After leaving for the Cincinnati Reds last offseason, only after his contract was non-tendered, he celebrated the near-one-year anniversary of being traded to the team by hitting a home run off Zack Wheeler on July 6, 2025, and sardonically letting Citizens Bank Park know that their jeers weren’t loud enough.
Maybe it was good fun, and the Phillies organization knows there’s no actual bad blood. That Balls Outta Here’s Ethan Williams believes there’s a chance the team could look to reunite with Hays at the right price.
What is the right price, according to Williams? Between $5 million and $10 million on a similar short-term deal to the one he signed with Cincinnati last January.
“Although the Phillies controlled his rights for one more season via arbitration, the front office decided against tendering Hays a contract making him a free agent at season’s end. To fill the outfield void Dombrowski instead opted to bring in veteran Max Kepler on a one-year, $10 million pact, while Hays latched on with the Cincinnati Reds for one year and only $5 million,” Williams prefaced before saying, “While Kepler languished and ultimately lost his starting gig with the Phillies, Hays went about making his former team look foolish by smacking 36 extra base hits and working to a rock solid .768 OPS in 103 games for the Reds.
“Now a free agent once again, Hays can most likely be had on a similar deal this offseason, a one-year agreement between $5 million and $10 million. In fact, he would fit the Phillies’ needs almost perfectly as despite signing former World Series hero Adolis GarcÃa, the club’s outfield depth chart is still quite thin. As things stand GarcÃa is set to play regularly in right field, with polarizing rookie Justin Crawford slated for everyday duty in center and a platoon of Brandon Marsh and Otto Kemp in left.”
Dave Dombrowski can Recoup Value From Failed 2024 Austin Hays Trade
Phillies PBO Dave Dombrowski already paid value, if not an overwhelming amount, for Hays in July 2024. Why not try to recoup some of it by bringing him back on a similar contract to what they wouldn’t re-up him for?
A seven-figure price for Hays could help fill the hole left by Harrison Bader’s free agent exit to the San Francisco Giants at a good value, made even better by the fact that there’s familiarity.
As the offseason progresses and the options dwindle, the two may find an unlikely reunion to be the best way forward for both parties.