Austin Hays taking post-trade shot at Orioles could hint at help for Yankees

Just a few hours after officially crossing the boundary and joining the National League-leading Phillies, outfielder Austin Hays found the need to throw some shade at his old club in Baltimore while praising his new one.

Hays, notably pumped up to join an incredible roster that plays 81 games in a bombastic atmosphere, wanted to express that he was excited to be called upon by a contender to help them through the dog days of summer. There are ... ways to do that which don't involve comparisons to the other elite team you've played for in 2024 (and in the bigs from 2017-2023, and in the minors long before that).

Instead, Hays chose the only version of Phillies praise that also knocked his former team down a peg, claiming that his chance of winning the World Series just became "even better" than it had been with his upstart group of young talent with the O's.

Were the Orioles taking care of more than just a positional logjam when they sent Hays packing? Are they better equipped to dismiss the Yankees in the AL East race than they were the day prior, when Hays was still in the locker room dreaming of climbing the MLB ladder one step further?

Is there a chemistry problem in Baltimore that Orioles are taking care of ahead of stretch run vs Yankees?

If Hays felt marginalized this year, it was for good reason; Baltimore had to find room for both Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad, not to mention spring training hero Kyle Stowers and any number of emerging names. A 2023 All-Star, Hays played just 63 games this season in the Orioles outfield.

While the Phillies' record is superior to the Orioles' right now, their path to the World Series isn't quite as clear. Philadelphia will have to go through the Shohei Ohtani-led superteam in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers have found their footing lately. Baltimore? The Yankees look feckless, the Astros lack pitching, the Guardians are unproven, and the Red Sox are as athletic as anyone. It's a wide open chase for the pennant, and one which Hays is no longer a part of.

Look for the Orioles to make more deals off the big-league roster over the next few days, with both Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle available. After hearing Hays' first words in Philadelphia, it's fair to wonder if this particular bit of roster subtraction is about solving more than just the outfield depth chart.