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As reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, former Orioles star outfielder Austin Hays has landed a one-year deal with the Reds that’ll guarantee him $5 million in 2025.
The deal reportedly includes an additional $1 million in incentives.
Prior to being traded at the deadline this past summer, Hays had been one of the longest tenured players on the Orioles roster.
A product of the Dan Duquette years, Hays was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2016 draft and made his debut in Baltimore just a year later in 2017.
Hays always had a ton of potential but it all came together for him in 2023. He hit .275/.325/.444 with 16 homers and strong outfield defense en route to a well deserved All Star game appearance. 2024 wasn’t as kind to the righty, however.
Former Orioles All Star Austin Hays lands one-year deal with Cincinnati
Hays was exceptional against left handed pitchers but started the year out on the wrong foot, missing a few weeks with a calf strain in the early months of 2024.
After being dealt to the Phillies at the trade deadline, Hays first suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for most of August, and also dealt with a really unfortunate kidney infection in early September that basically ended his season early.
But despite the injuries, you can still see the makings of an impact bat. In total, he hit .354/.404/.537 against lefties in 2024. Some of that is luck, surely.
But for his career, he’s now put up a .277/.331/.469 slash line against opposite side pitchers. And now that he’s landed a one-year deal in Cincinnati, he’ll have the opportunity to pad those stats in a very hitter-friendly environment.
Per Statcast data, Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark has the third highest park factor for hitters, and the second highest for righties. It’s especially friendly for homers, which will be great for Hays and his pull-heavy approach.
It’s unclear at this point what Hays’ real role with the Reds will be. Working in a platoon in one of the outfield corners makes the most sense, but they do already have a handful of right handed bats already and their recent addition of Gavin Lux really muddies up their infield situation.
It’s possible that the Reds give Hays everyday reps in left field, working alongside TJ Friedl in center and Jake Fraley in right.
They’ll also have Stuart Fairchild in the mix, but he’s been rough at the plate and is more of a defensive replacement than anything.
Ultimately, Cincinnati should be a great place for Hays to get his career back on track. He had a rough finish to 2024 but you’d be hard pressed to find a better spot than that Reds park for a hitter looking to break through and prove he’s still got it.
