Report: Reds ink Hays to 1-year deal worth reported $5M

The Cincinnati Reds signed outfielder Austin Hays to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2026, the team announced.

The deal will pay Hays $5 million in 2025 and also includes another $1 million worth of incentives, a source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Hays became a free agent after being non-tendered by the Philadelphia Phillies in November.

The Phillies acquired Hays from the Baltimore Orioles in a three-player trade ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. Hays struggled through a kidney infection last season, limiting him to 85 games. He finished with a .255/.303/.396 slash line with five home runs and 20 RBIs.

Hays owns a career 107 OPS+ with 68 home runs and 248 RBIs and was named an All-Star with the Orioles in 2023.

He'll give new Reds manager Terry Francona another outfield option, along with TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, and Spencer Steer.