The Cincinnati Reds, continuing to add to new manager Terry Francona’s roster, have reached agreement on a one-year, $5 million contract with free-agent outfielder Austin Hays, according to a source briefed on the discussions.
The deal, which is pending a physical, includes $1 million in incentives and marks the latest veteran addition to the Reds, who earlier this offseason signed free-agent reliever Brent Suter and traded for right-hander Brady Singer, catcher Jose Trevino and second baseman Gavin Lux.
Hays’ exact role with the Reds is to be determined. After platooning for the first part of last season with the Baltimore Orioles, he was seeking more regular playing time and a one-year deal that would help him reestablish his value.
Hays, 29, was diagnosed with a kidney infection last September. His test results indicated he had been ill for an extended period, perhaps the majority of the time he spent with the Philadelphia Phillies after they acquired him on July 26 from the Orioles for reliever Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache.
The infection, Hays said, was “the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through.” His symptoms included heaviness in his legs, pain in his lower back and floaters in his eyes, as well as brain fog that would disrupt conversations with his wife and teammates, causing him to forget what he was talking about, leaving him unable to respond.
In his 22 games with the Phillies, Hays performed below league average, batting .256 with a .672 OPS. The Phillies ultimately non-tendered him rather than pay him a projected $6.4 million in arbitration. But after that decision, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said, “I don’t think we saw the true guy.”
Prior to last season, Hays was an above-average offensive player with a career .751 OPS, including a .779 mark against left-handed pitching. Dombrowski said after the trade that the Phillies had tried to acquire him at each of the previous two deadlines. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said, “I expect him, wherever he ends up, to have a much better year than certainly he had with us.”
(Top photo of Austin Hays: Heather Barry/Getty Images)