White Sox Signing Former All-Star OF Austin Hays

Austin Hays, a 2023 All-Star outfielder with the Orioles who has bounced around the Phillies and Reds over the last two seasons, is on the move yet again. After a free agency period that has garnered some significant interest for the 30-year-old righty, Hays will reportedly sign with the rebuilding White Sox club looking to take a step forward in ‘26.

The decision was first reported by Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Terms of the deal have not yet been reported.

The report comes just minutes after Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that a decision was imminent, and that a number of other teams had offered or expressed interest in Hays, including the Cardinals, Cubs, Padres, Rangers, Reds and Tigers. Ultimately, it is the White Sox—who went just 60–102 a season ago—who come away with the veteran bat.

In 103 games for Cincinnati last season, Hays hit .266/.315/.453 with 15 home runs, 64 RBIs and 60 runs scored. Hays has missed significant time over the last two seasons, playing just 85 total games for Baltimore and Philadelphia in ‘24.

Hays had a solid run with the Orioles earlier in the decade, posting WAR marks of 3.4, 2.9 and 2.5 from 2021 to ‘23, reaching his first All-Star Game in the final year of that stretch. Last year’s .453 slugging percentage (his best since ‘21) and 15 home runs in roughly two-third of a season are a good sign for his pop at the plate, and should help bolster Chicago’s lineup.

Hays slots into an outfield that recently lost centerfielder Luis Robert Jr., who was traded to the Mets earlier in the month.

More MLB on Sports Illustrated