When thinking about easy ways to fix the Guardians outfield, free agent outfielder Austin Hays stands out as one of the obvious fits. 

While he’s not Aaron Judge, the right-handed hitting Hays can hold his own in the outfield and mash against left-handed pitching — two things that the Guardians have long been searching for from their outfielders. 

But even if Hays would be the kind of addition that would shore up Cleveland’s outfield, there hasn’t been any reporting linking the Guardians to him in free agency outside of some hypothetical scuttlebutt.  

On Wednesday, we got some insight into what Hays’ market looks like — and it’s a potential nightmare for Guardians fans. In a series of tweets, MLB insider Jon Heyman laid out Hays’ market by saying that the Yankees and Royals have both expressed interest in Hays in free agency. 

The Yankees also have checked in on Austin Hays. Hays becomes more realistic for them if they are unable to retain their No. 1 target Cody Bellinger.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 24, 2025

That interest makes sense considering both the Royals and Yankees need help in their outfield, but it’s also fair to say that neither of their outfield needs are more acute than the Guardians, who are coming off a season where their outfielders hit just .223. 

The Guardians may miss out on signing Austin Hays 

While the Guardians’ outfield batting average wasn’t great to look out, Royals outfielders combined to hit .219, which was the second-lowest mark in baseball behind the Angels. Kansas City has already added to its outfield by signing Lane Thomas, but Hays would provide another solid right-handed hitting option. 

Last year Hays slashed  266/.315/.453 with 15 home runs in 103 games and was 5% better than league average by measure of OPS+. 

Meanwhile, the Yankees finished the year with one of the best outfields by statistical production thanks to Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger, and it seems like they’re interested in running things back. 

They got a great season in 2025 from Bellinger, who earned some down-ballot MVP votes last season after finishing the year with 29 home runs and 89 RBI. In fact, Bellinger did so well that he opted out of the final year of his contract to seek a better deal in free agency. Heyman reports that he was still their top target, but Hays stands out as their top backup option. 

Last season the Yankees acquired outfielder Austin Slater at the trade deadline in the hopes that he could fill their right-handed platoon role, but he just went 3-for-25 in limited action. 

Hays would probably get more playing time than that, especially if Bellinger isn’t in the fold. 

Hays would fill that same role for the Guardians. The front office has already said that it would only bring in an outfield reinforcement so long as the player didn’t stand in the way of the team’s young outfielders, which is the smart way to build things. 

But it also means that any (hypothetical) offer the Guardians give Hays may not be able to stand up to the Yankees and Royals, both of which offer more avenues to everyday playing time. 

But regardless of what happens, it seems clear that Hays won’t sign until after Bellinger decides his landing spot for 2026.