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The business phase of the Major League Baseball offseason has ramped up over the last few days, and for the Cincinnati Reds, that meant turning down a too-expensive contract option. Austin Hays was quite solid for the Reds this season at the plate, posting a .768 OPS and 15 home runs in 103 games. But he struggled to stay healthy for the second year in a row, and he proved to be a subpar defensive outfielder, which goes against the billing he earned as an all-around player earlier in his career with the Baltimore Orioles. Hays signed a one-year deal with the Reds before the season with a $12 million mutual option for next year. But on Wednesday, Hays elected free agency after the club declined its half of that option, according to the official transactions log of MLB and confirmed by MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 21: The Cincinnati Reds logo shown on a ball bag during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) Mutual options are almost never picked up and are typically deployed as a tool to guarantee players more money without counting the full sum of that money against the luxury tax threshold. That’s the case here with Hays, who will receive a $1 million buyout from Cincinnati. Hays is far from a perfect player, though he has an All-Star appearance to his name in 2023 and a 106 career OPS+. But he leaves behind a notable void for the Reds that could signal the possibility of a reunion at a lower price point. Cincinnati’s projected outfield of Gavin Lux, TJ Friedl, and Noelvi Marte (listed from left to right) does not have much of a platoon advantage against left-handed pitchers, and unless they want to give first baseman Spencer Steer more time in the outfield, where he grades out worse defensively than Hays, they don’t have a right-handed bench outfielder. So while Hays is headed to free agency and will certainly have interest from other clubs, don’t rule out the possibility that he could be right back in Cincinnati in a few months. More MLB: Yankees’ Aaron Boone Makes Statement on Anthony Volpe’s Playing Time
