White Sox agree to contract with outfielder austin haze, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers I will report it. According to reports, Hayes will be paid $6 million on a one-year contract. John Heyman of the New York Postand the contract will be formalized after the physical. Hayes is repped by MAS+ Agency.
Early this morning, Heyman reported Hayes said,As for his next landing, “I’ve been told they’ll decide this weekend,” Heyman said, citing the White Sox (along with the Padres, Cubs, Tigers and Rangers) as one of the teams that showed some interest in Hayes at some point during the offseason. Zach Meisel of The Athletic The Guardian also wrote that they had “put their tentacles out” on Hayes, with previous reports this winter linking the Royals, Reds, Mets, Yankees and Cardinals to the market for Hayes.
Playing time was clearly a priority for Hayes, as Meisel wrote that the outfielder was looking for “a situation where he could play every day.” That didn’t happen in Cleveland because the Guardians didn’t want to block the acquisition of a promising young outfielder, but Hayes will be transferred to another team in the AL Central Division that has plenty of batting opportunities. Hayes figures to get at least a semi-regular spot in right field, and depending on how the White Sox approach Andrew Benintendi’s playing time, he could also get regular minutes in left field. Chicago’s outfield includes Brooks Baldwin, Derek Hill, Tristan Peters, Everson Pereira, and Jared Kelenic, and Luisangel Acuña will likely get plenty of playing time in center field.
Hayes has played center field for over 483 MLB innings, but hasn’t played that position since 2023. Given both his glove work and health, Hayes is probably better suited for a corner outfield slot, with some DH at-bats considering he’s been on the disabled list six times over the past two seasons. Four of those six IL stints were due to left calf and hamstring strains, and Hayes also missed several weeks last season with a left foot contusion.
Almost exactly a year ago, the Reds signed Hayes to a one-year, $5 million guaranteed contract, with a $4 million annual salary and a $1 million buyout with a mutual option of $12 million for the 2026 season. Like virtually all mutual options, Hayes was released after the 2025 season, but he had a respectable .266/.315/.453 slash line and 15 home runs in 416 at-bats in Cincinnati. On a team that struggled to generate consistent offense, Hayes’ 105 wRC+ was the third-highest among Reds players with at least 111 at-bats.
Even more in the future…