When the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles in late-July, the belief internally was they not only landed someone who could start in left field against left-handed pitchers, but perhaps a player who could seize the job on a full-time basis.
In his year-end press conference Tuesday, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged that Hays, largely because of health, didn’t ultimately have the impact that the team expected in 2024.
“Well, we were very happy with the trades we made at the particular time,” Dombrowski said. “I’ve been in this role before where sometimes you make moves and they turn out great.