The Cincinnati Reds signed outfielder Austin Hays to a 1-year, $5 million contract this offseason, and in doing so are effectively willing to throw out his most recent, poor season.
Hays dealt with a kidney infection and a mid-year trade for the first time in his big league career, bottoming out with a collective 101 OPS+ in his fewest games played since the COVID shortened 2020 season. He hit just 5 homers after having swatted 54 over the previous trio of seasons, his .396 SLG a far cry from the career .437 mark he entered the 2024 season carrying.