Today in Sports
  • Home
  • Featured News
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • More
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Soccer
    • NBA
    • Racing
    • Cricket
  • DMCA
  • Disclaimer
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Featured News
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • More
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Soccer
    • NBA
    • Racing
    • Cricket
No Result
View All Result
Today in Sports
No Result
View All Result

Reds To Sign Austin Hays

January 29, 2025
in Baseball
0
Home Baseball
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


You might also like

Watch: Yankee fans are still angry at Mets’ Juan Soto for leaving

Phillies Place Aaron Nola On IL With Ankle Sprain

Five & Dive, Episode 460: Impermanently Ineligible

The Reds have agreed to a one-year, $5MM deal with outfielder Austin Hays, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He can earn another $1MM via incentives. The MAS+ client’s deal is still pending the completion of a physical.

Hays, 29, gives the Reds the right-handed-hitting complement they’ve been seeking for the lefty-swinging outfield group of TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley and Will Benson. He’s a career .277/.331/.469 hitter against left-handed pitching and has experience playing all three outfield spots — though he’s generally better suited for corner work than center field.

As recently as 2023, Hays was an All-Star in Baltimore. He had a down showing in the second half after a monster .314/.355/.498 first half of that season but still finished out the year with a hearty .275/.325/.444 batting line in 566 plate appearances.

The 2024 season, however, was an abject nightmare for Hays. He struggled immensely on the field, due to a pair of leg injuries (hamstring strain, calf strain) and, far more concerning, a kidney infection. As Rosenthal detailed earlier in the offseason, Hays described that kidney infection as “the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through.” Upon discovering it, doctors told him he’d likely been suffering from the ill effects of that infection for weeks prior.

Hays told Rosenthal that his symptoms included nausea, lightheadedness, lower back pain, sluggish legs and even a “brain fog” that would at times cause him to lose focus and forget what he was talking about mid-conversation. Hays initially chalked some of the exhaustion, leg fatigue and back pain up to the rigors of a full season and the prior hamstring/calf strains still impacting him. As time wore on and his symptoms increased, it became clear something else was at play.

A healthy Hays could well be a boon to the Cincinnati outfield, particularly if he’s in line to face a large slate of left-handed pitching. The move from Baltimore to Cincinnati should favor him considerably, too. Camden Yards has become a wasteland for right-handed power hitters in recent years, following the team’s decision to alter the dimensions in left field. Since 2022, when the O’s initially altered their park and installed a towering wall in left field (often referred to as “Mount Wall-timore”), their stadium has been the third-worst in MLB for right-handed home runs, per Statcast, leading only Cleveland’s Progressive Field and Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park, meanwhile, ranks as the third most-favorable park in MLB for right-handed home runs, by those same park factors.

Hays’ presence in Cincinnati could open up some more infield and/or DH at-bats for fellow righty Spencer Steer, who played primarily in the outfield last year. Steer is an infielder by trade, but his versatility was leveraged when the Reds’ infield became increasingly crowded.

The trade of Jonathan India and overwhelming struggles of Noelvi Marte last year have perhaps lent some extra clarity to the infield, however. There’s still some playing time to sort out this spring, but Steer could see time at the corners and DH alongside Jeimer Candelario, who also struggled in an injury-marred 2024 season, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who missed most of the year due to wrist surgery. Matt McLain (who missed most of the season due to shoulder surgery) and Elly De La Cruz are in line to serve as the primary second baseman and shortstop, respectively. Trade acquisition Gavin Lux could also see time at second base and in left field. Broadly speaking, the Reds’ lineup will feature quite a few moving parts for new skipper Terry Francona to juggle based on matchups, health and workload management.

Hays’ $5MM guarantee will push the Reds’ payroll just north of $110MM, marking an increase of about $10MM over their 2024 budget. Even an increase of that level looked questionable just weeks ago, but the team’s surprise agreement with Main Street Sports/FanDuel Sports Network (the rebranded Diamond Sports/Bally RSN provider) afforded president of baseball operations Nick Krall some additional resources to further build out the 2025 club. The Reds have also been tied to relief upgrades, Carlos Estevez most notably, but it’s not clear whether ownership’s budgetary preferences can accommodate both Hays and another bullpen arm — particularly one of Estevez’s caliber and likely asking price.



Source link

Tags: Austinaustin haysHaysRedsSign
Share30Tweet19

Recommended For You

Watch: Yankee fans are still angry at Mets’ Juan Soto for leaving

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 17, 2025
0
Watch: Yankee fans are still angry at Mets’ Juan Soto for leaving

Unsurprisingly, New York Yankee fans cascaded New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto with boos when he returned to Yankee Stadium on Friday night.  The jeers didn't seem...

Read more

Phillies Place Aaron Nola On IL With Ankle Sprain

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 16, 2025
0
Phillies Place Aaron Nola On IL With Ankle Sprain

The Phillies announced that they have placed right-hander Aaron Nola on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 15th, due to a sprained right ankle. Right-hander Daniel Robert...

Read more

Five & Dive, Episode 460: Impermanently Ineligible

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 16, 2025
0
Five & Dive, Episode 460: Impermanently Ineligible

In Episode 460, Patrick, Jeffrey, and Craig chat about Nabil Crismatt, music festivals, and Brad Seitzer and then discuss five mostly baseball topics. 1. I’m shocked shocked to...

Read more

Oswaldo Cabrera’s uplifting Yankees promise after undergoing surgery for gruesome broken ankle

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 16, 2025
0
Oswaldo Cabrera’s uplifting Yankees promise after undergoing surgery for gruesome broken ankle

Oswaldo Cabrera’s road to recovery has begun. The Yankees’ beloved utilityman announced he underwent successful ankle surgery Thursday after suffering a broken ankle in a gruesome play at...

Read more

Endless slump puts $140M Red Sox slugger’s future in question

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 16, 2025
0
Endless slump puts 0M Red Sox slugger’s future in question

This season, the Boston Red Sox-Trevor Story saga finally appeared to be reaching a much-awaited climax. At the height of his 2025 campaign on April 21, the Red...

Read more
Next Post
Liverpool near best-ever European run as Arne Slot faces PSV for 27th time! – Liverpool FC

Liverpool near best-ever European run as Arne Slot faces PSV for 27th time! - Liverpool FC

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related News

Coach Vilim Visak on serving to Marin Cilic again from harm | ATP Tour

Coach Vilim Visak on serving to Marin Cilic again from harm | ATP Tour

October 19, 2024
Why Draymond sees ‘small window’ for Warriors to win one other NBA title

Why Draymond sees ‘small window’ for Warriors to win one other NBA title

June 11, 2024
Manchester United, Man City to go head-to-head for former Carrington starlet Vanja Milinkovic-Savic – Man United News And Transfer News

Manchester United, Man City to go head-to-head for former Carrington starlet Vanja Milinkovic-Savic – Man United News And Transfer News

May 2, 2025

Browse by Category

  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Football
  • Golf
  • MMA
  • NBA
  • NFL
  • Racing
  • Rugby
  • Soccer
  • Tennis
Today in Sports

Get the Latest Sports News and Updates on TodayInSports.net. Soccer News, Basketball News, Baseball News, Golf News, Boxing News and More!

CATEGORIES

  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Football
  • Golf
  • MMA
  • NBA
  • NFL
  • Racing
  • Rugby
  • Soccer
  • Tennis

Recent News

  • “It was written”: Edwin van der Sar believes Man United would always sack Erik ten Hag after takeover – Man United News And Transfer News
  • Mo Salah desperate to beat Premier League season G/A record
  • The statistics behind Bruno Fernandes’ incredible season for Man United – Man United News And Transfer News
  • Contact us
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • DMCA
  • Get the Latest Sports News and Updates on TodayInSports.net.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2024 Today in Sports.
Today in Sports is not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Featured News
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • More
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Soccer
    • NBA
    • Racing
    • Cricket

Copyright © 2024 Today in Sports.
Today in Sports is not responsible for the content of external sites.