The Cardinals are among the teams that have expressed interest in free agent outfielder Austin Hays, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman has previously linked Hays to the Yankees, Mets and Royals this offseason.
St. Louis president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said over the weekend that the team was open to adding a righty-hitting outfielder. Bloom’s comments came in response to a fan question about Harrison Bader, yet Hays seems more in line with the kind of player the Cardinals would target. Bader should be able to command a multi-year deal on a team that’d play him every day in center field, where St. Louis probably wants to continue giving Victor Scott II a chance to develop offensively.
Hays is likely to sign for much more cheaply on a one-year deal. He’d be more of a rotational corner outfield piece, ideally used most often as a short side platoon bat. He’s a career .282/.340/.479 hitter in a little over 800 plate appearances versus lefty pitching. The 30-year-old owns a slightly below-average .253/.301/.416 line in 1816 trips to the plate against right-handers. Last year’s splits were even more extreme, as Hays had a .949 OPS against southpaws and a .708 mark without the platoon advantage.
The Cardinals have the lefty-hitting Scott in center field and another left-handed bat, Lars Nootbaar, lined up to play left field. Nootbaar could be traded this offseason and seems more likely than not to move by the deadline. Alec Burleson is another left-handed hitter with ample corner outfield experience, but he’s expected to be the primary first baseman after the Willson Contreras trade.
Righty-swinging Jordan Walker will probably get another chance in right field, but he has a minor league option remaining and hasn’t found any kind of sustained MLB success. Prospect Joshua Baez, another righty bat, and lefty-hitting depth options Nathan Church and Bryan Torres are also on the 40-man roster. Hays has played exclusively left field over the past couple seasons. The Cardinals are also among the teams looking at Miguel Andujar, who offers a similar skillset but will probably be a little more expensive coming off an excellent finish to the 2025 season with Cincinnati.
Scott’s ceiling is slightly below Michael Taylor’s. Not bad, but he won’t be a consistent performer in the batter’s box.
When he learns how to pound grounders, bunt singles, and punch doubles, while also flashing the leather and stealing 60 bags, this kid could be a lot of fun to watch.
I think its too early to say that. This will be a defining year for him though.
He will have a higher career War that Taylor perhaps, but not by much. He will have more stolen bases. He can’t hit..Good comparison I think..
Heyman reports.
What could go wrong?
Don’t see how adding an outfielder makes sense, unless they’re absolutely sure Herrera can be our primary catcher (and get much much better at throwing out baserunners).
If he’s not catching, he’s in left field, so…
I think if he’s not catching he’s the DH with a few stabs at playing the field.
He’s such a tremendous athlete, I hope he learns to play the outfield while also DH’ing some. He’s got a lot to offer and we’re not that athletic, so…