The Phillies have informed outfielder that they will not tender him a contract before tonights deadline, Jon Heyman of the New York Post . Hell immediately become a free agent without having to first clear waivers. Hed been projected for a $6.4MM salary . Hays, 29, spent his entire career with the Orioles before in exchange for and a few days before the 2024 trade deadline. The Phillies hoped that Hays, whod battled injuries in the seasons first half, could rebound with better health and solidify their outfield mix down the stretch. Thats not how things played out, however. Hays suffered a strained hamstring a couple weeks after the trade and only briefly returned before hitting the shelf with a kidney infection that took a significant toll on his body. He only took 80 plate appearances with Philadelphia and batted just .256/.275/.397 in that small sample. All told, Hays endured three IL stints in 2024, mi sing time with that kidney infection, hamstring strain and a calf strain that shelved him for three weeks from late April to mid-May. His combined .255/.303/.396 slash between Trevor Williams Jersey the two clubs was arguably the worst production of his big league career. While injuries clearly hampered Hays 2024 campaign, hes still only a season removed from an All-Star season. Hays turned in a nice .275/.325/.444 slash with 16 home runs and quality glovework in left field as recently as 2023. Hes long been the type of player who thrives in platoon settings and merely holds his own against same-handed opponents, but paired with his defensive acumen thats enough for him to have been a solid regular in Baltimore. Hays is a lifetime .277/.331/.469 hitter against lefties (120 wRC+) and a .254/.304/.415 hitter against fellow righties (99 wRC+). Teams seeking a low-cost, right-handed bat to plug into their outfield mix figure to have interest in Hays. Many non-tendered players ultimately sign minor league deals, but Hays was a notable enough contributor with the Os from 2021-23 that he ought to find a one-year deal in free agency, presumably a price south of his projected arbitration salary. The Phillies, meanwhile, were already known to be in the market for outfield help. Hays was a likely non-tender candidate for some time now, though they opted not to make the move before today presumably gauging the market for potential trade partners. Philadelphias outfield includes , and , but the Phils are interested in adding a bat to the outfield and either going with a Marsh/Rojas platoon in the other spot or giving Marsh a larger role if he can handle lefties better than in the past. The Phillies are and will surely be connected to a variety of other targets both on the open market and trade market. Carter Kieboom Jersey