Report: White Sox, Hays agree to 1-year, $6M contract

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms with free-agent outfielder Austin Hays, sources told ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

The deal is a one-year contract worth $6 million in guaranteed money, including a base salary of $5 million in 2026, reports The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The deal also contains a mutual option for 2027 with a $1-million buyout if the option isn't exercised, Rosenthal adds.

Hays can earn another $375K through incentives based on plate appearances, according to Rosenthal. He apparently chose the White Sox in part because they offered him a chance to play every day, as opposed to being the right-handed half of a platoon.

He slashed .266/.315/.453 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs in 103 games with the Cincinnati Reds last season. Hays spent the first seven years of his career with the Baltimore Orioles, where he became an All-Star in 2023 before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2024 deadline.

He signed with the Reds as a free agent last winter.

The 30-year-old joins a White Sox outfield that includes Andrew Benintendi, Brooks Baldwin, Everson Pereira, and fellow newcomer Luisangel Acuña. Top prospect Braden Montgomery will also attend big-league camp as a non-roster invitee, as will minor-league signees Jarred Kelenic, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Dustin Harris, among others.

Hays, who's primarily played left field but has experience at all three outfield positions, can slot in at right field daily in 2026 while Montgomery continues developing. He could also slide over to left in place of Benintendi against left-handed pitching, thanks to his lifetime .819 OPS versus southpaws.

The Reds, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and Chicago Cubs were all interested in signing Hays before he chose the White Sox offer, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.