Latest Austin Hays rumor should be bittersweet for Guardians fans 

All offseason Guardians fans have been waiting for the team to make any kind of addition to their outfield. 

While they got a flicker of a life at the end of December when Cleveland signed Stuart Fairchild to a minor league contract, it went back to radio silence not long after. 

Even if most of that radio silence is planned thanks to the Guardians’ abundance of outfield prospects like Chase DeLauter and George Valera, it’s still been a bit frustrating that the Guardians’ front office has done next to nothing to address an outfield that was among baseball’s worst last year. 

And we finally got some more insight in the Guardians’ outfield pursuits on Friday thanks to The Athletic’s Zack Mesiel — and it doesn’t bode well for the Guardians’ chances to add to their outfield. 

As a part of a story breaking down José Ramírez’s extension, Mesiel also wrote about the Guardians’ free agent pursuits, where he said, among other things, that the Guardians “put out feelers” on Austin Hays but that Hays would prefer to sign with a team that would give him the opportunity to play every day. 

That sentiment should be a bit bittersweet for Guardians fans. While it’s disappointing to know that Hays likely won’t be a Guardian in 2026, the fact that it’s happening because the Guardians seem set to give their outfielders everyday playing time is a good sign. 

It looks like Austin Hays won’t be a Guardian in 2026

It’s easy to see how the right-handed hitting Hays could help the Guardians. Not only did he hit .266 with 15 home runs with the Reds, but he’s also mashed lefties throughout his career. Guardians right-fielders combined to hit .200 last year and .191 against left-handed pitching. Hays would fix both those problems. 

But it seems like he wouldn’t get a chance to be able to do it every day thanks to the presence of DeLauter, Valera and others, which goes against how they’ve operated in years prior when they’ve signed stopgap veterans. 

But that doesn’t seem to be the case this year, which is a positive sign. While the Guardians could be setting themselves up for trouble if any of their young players get hurt or hit the rookie wall at the same time, the front office seems to think it’s worth the risk. 

And it seems like Hays wasn’t the only free agent outfielder impacted by that thinking. 

According to Mesiel, the Guardians made a “comparable offer” to the $5.25 million contract that Lane Thomas signed with the Royals but weren’t willing to guarantee him a ton of playing time. 

He also wrote that the Guardians had some interest in Harrison Bader, but didn’t want to sign him to a multi-year deal if he was going to be a part-time player. 

While we’re still not at a point where the Guardians have two everyday outfielders alongside Steven Kwan, it seems like Chase DeLauter and George Valera are going to get a legitimate chance to prove themselves to him.