Orioles should bring back Austin Hays

Mike Elias is not the sentimental type. The Orioles’ president of baseball operations had no trouble trading off the most senior Oriole, Cedric Mullins, and while he did try reunions with Kyle Gibson and Mychal Givens, he quickly jettisoned them when their second iterations didn’t work out.

The Orioles will need outfielders for 2026, and one of them should be an ex-Oriole.

The list of prospective free-agent outfielders isn’t terribly impressive, although there are a couple of left-handed hitters — Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker — who will be highly sought after.

Both Bellinger and Tucker could help the team, the Orioles need two outfielders to pair with Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill and perhaps Jeremiah Jackson.

In July 2024, the Orioles began an unexpected flurry of trades at the deadline by trading outfielder Austin Hays to the Philadelphia Phillies for reliever Seranthony Domínguez, who gave up the decisive grand slam to Seattle’s Eugenio Suárez in Friday’s Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

Hays was with the Orioles through the depths of their rebuilding and made the American League All-Star team in 2023 as the Orioles won the American League East.

He was admired for playing through injuries, even when perhaps he shouldn’t have, but in 2024, he hit just .255 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 63 games.

His time with the Phillies wasn’t memorable, missing time with a hamstring injury and kidney ailment, playing in just 22 games, hitting .256 with two homers and six RBIs.

Hays signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds, and while he spent time on the IL with calf and foot injuries, he hit .266 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs and a .768 OPS in 103 games.

Those stats were comparable to his 2023 All-Star season when he hit. 275 with 16 homers and 67 RBIs with a .769 OPS.

Hays signed a one-year, $4 million contract with a $12 million mutual option for 2026.

It seems unlikely that the Reds would exercise their half of the option, making Hays a free agent.

The Orioles’ struggles against left-handers were well documented.

Beavers, Cowser, Samuel Basallo, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday hit left-handed. Orioles left-handed hitters hit just .214 against left-handed pitchers.

Hays, a right-handed hitter, hits well against lefties. In 2025, Hays hit .319 with a .949 OPS, with two home runs and 17 RBIs in 91 at-bats.

Besides a needed right-handed hitter, Hays could provide leadership in the clubhouse and his willingness to play through injuries is admirable.

At 30, Hays can still deliver key hits and with O’Neill, the other key right-handed hitter limited to 54 games in 2025 because of three stints on the injured list, there looks to be plenty of playing time available.

Hays isn’t the entire solution. Another free-agent possibility could be right-handed hitter Harrison Bader, who finished the season with Philadelphia.

Bader has played with six teams since 2022, and had a fine season with the Phillies and Minnesota, combining to hit .277 with a .796 OPS, 17 home runs and 54 RBIs.

The 31-year-old had a career-high 4.2 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in 2025 and has a $10 million mutual option.

Pairing Bader and Hays with Beavers, Cowser and O’Neill could give the Orioles a much improved outfield.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.