Moves will be made in the Yankees’ outfield in advance of 2026 Opening Day. Which and how many remain yet to be determined, as the Yanks have been one of the quieter contenders to date in this offseason,
which has largely just been re-signing a handful of free agents. In the many possibilities currently in play, one of the more measured additions would be that of Austin Hays. While avoiding clichés such as “a professional hitter,” Hays embodies a solid addition, but one who will likely generate an underwhelming feeling if not paired with any further high-profile acquisitions, given the production from this Yankee outfield in recent seasons.
According to a recent report from Jon Heyman, the Yankees are one of the teams in play for Hays, but that’s assuming they can’t get Cody Bellinger. Earlier in the offseason, he also reported the Yankees could pursue Kyle Tucker if they failed in their efforts to re-sign Bellinger. While Tucker seems to be too big of a player to be a backup plan to Bellinger, Hays doesn’t seem to possess the necessary tools for such a lofty endeavor.
2025 Statistics: 103 games, 416 PA, .266/.315/.453, 15 HR, 64 RBI, 105 wRC+, 1 Out Above Average, 1.2 fWAR
2026 FanGraphs Depth Charts Projections: 123 games, 532 PA, .242/.298/.403, 15 HR, 63 RBI, 93 wRC+, 0.4 fWAR
A well-known adversary to Yankee fans from his time as an Oriole, Hays signed a one-year deal with the Reds last season. One full season in Cincinnati helped the veteran outfielder regain a bit of the value he lost after a rather disappointing end to his 2024 campaign with the Phillies.
The noted lefty killer, Hays, lived up to his reputation with the Reds, securing a .949 OPS in 105 PA against southpaws in 2025. Despite that, nearly all of his home runs came against righties, though, 13 of 15 to be exact, though that was more a result of there not being as many southpaws for Hays to face (compared to 311 PA vs. righties). Those long balls kept his batting line afloat with an underwhelming .708 OPS when right-handers toed the rubber.
A pretty stable full-time starter for the Orioles between 2021 and 2023, when he was an All-Star for the 101-win division championships, Hays has the ceiling of roughly a two, two-and-a-half-win player (averaged a little over 2.0 fWAR for the Orioles during that period). That experience with Baltimore meant that he’s already played his share of games in the Bronx, and in that 25-game sample, he’s been successful, batting .298/.337/.564 with six homers.
In an ideal world, Hays would be signed to be a platoon bat exclusively (alongside Jasson Domínguez, who handles righties) and covering his standard position of left field, with the possibility of filling in on a full-time basis in case of an injury. Considering he’ll most likely command a fairly reasonable one-year deal, there is a lot to like about a player like him. The main concern, as mentioned earlier in this post, is the perception and environment around his signing. One could even make the case that the Yankees should pursue him as a depth acquisition even if they bring back Bellinger, although that severely limits opportunities for the younger options knocking down the door for playing time — and the limited role likely wouldn’t be that appealing to Hays, either.
Interestingly, despite Great American Ballpark’s reputation as one of the more hitter-friendly stadiums in the bigs, Hays put up significantly better numbers on the road in 2025 (.744 OPS at home and .788 on the road), alleviating some of the concerns about his potential signing. While FanGraphs Depth Charts and Steamer are pretty bullish on his 2026 outlook, Hays produced a stat line well in line with his career numbers in 2025, lowering the concern level regarding those projections. Regardless, adding him right after missing out on Bellinger would place an enormous amount of pressure on him and the front office.
