The Padres are taking a swing on Austin Hays, and it’s the kind of bet that fits the way A.J. Preller operates. San Diego is bringing in the former All-Star on a major-league deal, hoping there’s still enough talent left to matter after a rough stretch with the White Sox.
That White Sox chapter never really got off the ground. Chicago signed Hays to a one-year, $6 million contract in the offseason, but he ended up appearing in just 12 games.
In 44 plate appearances, he hit .233/.250/.326 with one home run, seven RBIs and a .576 OPS. A right hamstring strain sent him to the shelf in April, and after he came back, he suffered another strain in his left calf in May before eventually landing on the 60-day IL.
Once his rehab assignment was over, his run with the White Sox was over too.
Even with that mess attached to his name, the Padres saw enough to make the move. Hays still has a track record that suggests he can help if he’s healthy. He’s handled left-handed pitching well over the course of his career, with a .282/.340/.479 line against lefties, and he can give San Diego another option in the corner outfield.
The ceiling is still real, too. Hays made the AL All-Star team with Baltimore in 2023, and last season with Cincinnati he put together a .266/.315/.453 line with 15 homers and 64 RBIs. That version of him would absolutely play.
Of course, everything comes back to health. That’s been the issue for Hays for a while, and it’s the biggest reason this move carries more uncertainty than certainty. The Padres aren’t paying deadline-style trade capital here, so the risk stays manageable.
The downside is easy to see: he could take time to find his timing after missing three months and wind up as just another name in the churn at the back end of the roster. But if the swing comes back and he comes through with a few timely hits in a tight playoff race, this could end up looking like a sneaky strong pickup.
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Padres Are Betting On A Veteran Bat To Fix One Lineup Problem
The Padres have turned to a familiar kind of midseason fix, agreeing to a major league contract with veteran outfielder Austin Hays as they look to shore up a lineup issue that has lingered all season. A right-handed hitter with nine MLB seasons on his resume, Hays brings experience across the outfield and gives San Diego another option at a time when the club has been searching for more reliable production against left-handed pitching.
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His contribution in Houston was exactly the kind of timely production the Padres have been searching for, as he drove in runs and launched his 17th homer of the season. For a team trying to keep pace in the playoff chase, Merrills resurgence is more than a hot streak, it is the kind of development that can change the tone of the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]