“Orioles vs. Phillies World Series; We’d like to prove him wrong” — Grayson Rodriguez weighs in on Austin Hays’ remark about winning the championship

Austin Hays' comment about having a better chance at winning a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies has earned a response from his former Baltimore Orioles teammate Grayson Rodriguez. Hays made the comment after he was traded by the O's just ahead of the deadline.

The Orioles have been looking to strengthen their pitching staff throughout this month. In a rather unusual trade between two World Series contenders, the Orioles traded Austin Hays to the Phillies in exchange for bullpen arm Seranthony Dominguez.

After his trade, Hays said he was pleased to have joined the NL East team and was looking forward to the playoffs with them.

"There’s not very many teams you feel like where you’re upgrading from where you were when your team’s in first place. That’s how I feel. I feel like I’m coming into a place where we have an even better chance to win a World Series,” Hays had said.

Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez took exception to the comments. On "Foul Territory TV," the pitcher said Hays' words do not hurt his feelings, and the Orioles would be hoping for a different result if both teams met in the Fall Classic.

"You're not gonna hurt my feelings. I tell everyone the only person who can hurt my feelings is my momma. We're hoping that we get to that point. Orioles vs Phillies, World Series. We'd like to prove him wrong. We'll see," Rodriguez said.

Austin Hays important to Phillies' outfield depth

Austin Hays had to divide his time in the outfield for the Orioles with emerging prospects Heston Kjerstad and Colton Cowser. Although the right-handed batter had a season average of .255, he was batting at a higher .313 average after returning from a month-long layoff due to injury.

His right-handed hitting prowess is important to the Phillies, who are stacked with left-handed outfielders such as Brandon Marsh. Hays is 5-21 in five games with the Phillies since his trade. He had a crucial four-RBI night against the New York Yankees on Wednesday. It remains to be seen how well Philadelphia utilizes him.