Why Austin Hays could end up signing with the Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians could use some outfield help. Here's a candidate for that.

Cincinnati Reds left fielder Austin Hays (12) hits an RBI base hit in the sixth inning between Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sept. 7, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Austin Hays was one of the better outfielding hitters in the MLB last season.

He slashed 266/.315/.453 for an OPS of .768 with 16 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs across 103 games. That was good enough for a bWAR of 0.8, proving that his hitting directly helped the Cincinnati Reds.

But as the MLB offseason continues to tick along day-by-day, the talented 30-year-old remains unsigned.

However, at any moment, the Cleveland Guardians could change that. It would make sense for the two sides to strike a deal. Hays needs a new place to call home, with this one being right up the road from his previous one-year stop in Cincinnati, and the Guardians need to build more efficiency from the bats in the outfield.

Austin Hays would be a perfect OF pickup for the Guardians this winter:

🔺.266 AVG
🔺.768 OPS
🔺15 HRs
🔺64 RBI
🔺0.8 WAR#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/u35GNARpEY

— SleeperGuardians (@SleeperGuards) November 18, 2025

In 2025, they were statistically one of the worst teams in the league in batting average, and their outfielders didn't help. The Guardians finished second-to-last in batting average at a mark of .226, ahead of just the Los Angeles Angels.

The outfield showcased a platoon, led by Steven Kwan, that consisted of a young Angel Martinez, an inconsistent Nolan Jones and various other bats that weren't up to par. Specifically, they're looking for a right-handed hitter, with Martinez's switch-hitting and prospect Johnathan Rodriguez being the only two on the 40-man roster.

In the upcoming season, the team seems to be aiming to replace both the center field and right field spots to give Kwan a bit more talent. At the end of the last campaign, they called up prospects Chase DeLauter and George Valera, both of whom looked promising.

However, deploying one at a time seems to be a better option for Cleveland to focus on development. Bringing in Hays would allow them to slowly ease DeLauter and Valera into the major league game while still getting needed consistency.

Since 2019, Hays has never hit below .250 and never had an on-base percentage below .300. He's efficient at the plate, both with the swing of a bat and with a keen eye. In 2023, he was selected to the lone All-Star appearance of his career.

He isn't a break-the-bank type player, but he's one who could easily serve as a placeholder for the Guardians.

The team has a lot of talent in the minor league system right now; however, they aren't ready to play in the majors just yet. They may need one to two more seasons to get fully up to speed, giving Hays a perfect window of time to hold over the Guardians until those youngsters are ready to go.

Hays is drawing interest from numerous teams in the league, including the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees. The last thing the Guardians want to do is miss out on him and allow him to go to either one of those teams, both of which Cleveland regularly seems to square off against.

Right now, it looks like Hays might be waiting out the market to see where other notable veteran outfielders sign to see what his worth should be.

But when he's ready, Cleveland's front office has the money to offer him pretty much whatever he wants. The only question is whether or not they're willing to pull out the checkbook.