The long-awaited move to bolster the outfield has come to pass, as the White Sox have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with veteran outfielder Austin Hays. The signing helps address major questions about the White Sox outfield following the recent trade of Luis Robert Jr. Hays joins Andrew Benintendi, Everson Pereira, Luisangel Acuna, Jarred Kelenic, Brooks Baldwin, and Derek Hill as the group expected to get a serious look in the outfield this season.
Hays, 30, is a former third-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles. He made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 2017, but didn’t establish himself as a full-time player until 2021. The best three-year stretch of his career saw him post an OPS+ of 107, 105, and 114 from 2021-2023, and Hays was named to the AL all-star team during the 2023 seasons. Hays was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline during a 2024 season marred by injuries and struggles, and he joined the Cincinnati Reds in free agency prior to 2025. In 103 games with the Reds last season, Hays slashed .266/.315/.453 and slugged 15 homers, good for a 105 OPS+.
Austin Hays currently has 4 RBI today (unless one somehow gets subtracted...) pic.twitter.com/GCbWFjerFw
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) February 24, 2025
Hays brings a stabilizing presence to a young White Sox team
Hays has never lit up the charts with his underlying metrics, but the results speak for themselves. His career 106 OPS+ makes him a slightly above average hitter, and he’s as sure a bet as any to give you 15 home runs and a .250 average. He’s likely not going to be an all-star again, but he’ll bring much-needed stability to a very volatile White Sox outfield group. On defense, Hays graded out as league average in 2025 with excellent arm strength and average speed. He’s played almost exclusively left field in recent years, but has experience in all three outfield spots.
Hays has historically been quite a bit stronger against left-handed pitching, so it’s possible he’s simply a platoon option with Andrew Benintendi in left field, but his career .717 OPS against righties is at least serviceable, so he could see a larger role than that. The best years of his career were in Baltimore, where White Sox hitting director Ryan Fuller worked from 2019-2024. It’s likely not a coincidence that Hays chose the White Sox over other offers.
With the signings of Hays and Seranthony Dominguez, the White Sox have now spent the majority of the money saved with the Robert Jr. trade, but the team is in need of another starting pitcher so I don’t believe they’re done. Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in less than two weeks, with the full squad reporting a few days after that.
We’ll see if any other new faces will be joining the squad before February 10th.