While Cody Bellinger remains the Yankees’ no. 1 option in free agency, Jon Heyman of the New York Post is reporting that they’ve remained in touch with Austin Hays.
The right-handed hitting outfielder recorded a 105 OPS+ and hit .266 with the Reds over the last season as he had 103 games played as a left fielder and DH.
His offense against lefties is incredibly appealing to teams who have an outfield hole including the Mets and Cardinals according to Heyman.
Austin Hays has a career .819 OPS and .282 AVG against lefties, and last season he hit .319 with a .949 OPS in those matchups.
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Why Austin Hays Remains On the Yankees’ Radar Still
As the Yankees await the decision from Cody Bellinger, who is garnering interest from both themselves and the Mets, they’ve continued to check in on other outfielders.
With Austin Hays on the market he provides a decent pivot option because he platoons well with Jasson Dominguez who does well against righties but doesn’t perform well against lefties.
New York remained engaged with Scott Boras about Bellinger because he’s their top free agent priority, but they’re prepared to make pivots if needed.
Cody Bellinger hit 29 home runs with a 125 OPS+ last season and his offense against lefties is a big plus alongside a brilliant glove in left field, which matters at Yankee Stadium.
While you wouldn’t make up for the defensive production in the corner outfield, but the Yankees probably believe they can make a bit of the offensive drop-off you’d expect.
Whether the Yankees end up with Cody Bellinger or not will almost certainly affect their aggression levels with Austin Hays, and the same could be said for the Mets.
There’s a belief inside the industry that the left-handed hitting outfielder could make a decision soon according to Jim Bowden, but time will tell on when that decision comes.