The White Sox have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with former All-Star Austin Hays, a much-needed move to shore up the outfield.
The eight-year MLB veteran is coming off an injury-plagued season that sidelined him for 59 games. However, when on the field, Hays remained productive. In 103 games with the Reds, he slashed .266/.315/.453 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs. His .768 OPS ranked second on the team among players with at least 200 plate appearances.
At 32, Hays represents a clear upgrade in the corner outfield over Mike Tauchman, who posted a respectable .756 OPS across 90 games last season. With Tauchman no longer in the picture and Michael Taylor announcing his retirement, Chicago was left without a reliable veteran presence in the outfield. That void made the need for an experienced player who could contribute offensively and guide an extremely young roster increasingly apparent. Hays has the résumé to do just that.
He adds much-needed power, with the 2025 season marking the fourth time in the past five years he has reached the 15-home-run mark. Hays also brings valuable postseason experience, having appeared in the playoffs in each of the last three seasons with three different teams. His track record includes three seasons with an OPS+ above 105, underscoring his consistent above-average production.
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Hays’ best stretch came in Baltimore, where he logged 53 extra-base hits in 2022 and followed that with 54 more in 2023, including a career-high 36 doubles. That 2023 campaign earned him an All-Star selection after he slashed .275/.325/.444 with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs.
Beyond his offensive impact, Hays provides reliable defense in the outfield. Last season, his arm strength ranked in the 88th percentile across Major League Baseball. In 2021, he finished fifth among American League left fielders with five assists, followed by another strong showing in 2022, when he ranked fifth in MLB with eight outfield assists. He capped his defensive run in 2023 by posting a perfect fielding percentage in left field.
While Hays isn’t known for drawing a high volume of walks, he consistently punishes fastballs. In 95 plate appearances last season that ended with a heater, he hit .337 with a staggering .705 slugging percentage. He was just as effective against sinkers, batting .353 with a .632 slugging percentage across 71 at-bats.
However, like most hitters, Hays struggled against off-speed pitches, particularly sliders, sweepers, and curveballs, resulting in a 34.3% whiff rate. Injuries are also a concern; he was limited to just 85 games in 2024 due to calf and hamstring issues.
Still, with the White Sox seeking only a one-year placeholder to stabilize the outfield until Braden Montgomery is ready for promotion, Hays is a perfect fit, providing a steady veteran presence for a team focused on building winning habits.
While trading Luis Robert Jr. brought back promising young talent in Luisangel Acuña and created financial flexibility to sign Seranthony Domínguez, it also left the White Sox with one of the thinnest outfields in baseball—making the addition of Austin Hays all the more important.
Before landing Hays, Chicago was staring at a patchwork group of Brooks Baldwin, Andrew Benintendi, Derek Hill, Everson Pereira, and Tristan Peters as its primary outfield options. Each came with significant questions. Hill owns a career .629 OPS across six MLB seasons, raising doubts about his viability as an everyday player. Baldwin settled into a utility role last season, but his outfield defense remains a work in progress, while Benintendi’s defensive decline has increasingly pointed toward a full-time DH role.
In an effort to stabilize the position, general manager Chris Getz has taken a volume-based approach. Earlier this offseason, the White Sox signed seven-year MLB veteran LaMonte Wade Jr. to a minor-league deal with a spring training invite, adding to a list of low-risk outfield depth that also includes Dustin Harris and former first-round pick Jarred Kelenic.
Even with those additions, uncertainty remains, which is why Hays stands out as such a key signing. While Harris, Kelenic, and Wade will all have a chance to earn playing time in camp, Hays provides a reliable, everyday option—something the White Sox outfield was sorely lacking.
