Reds free agents Austin Hays, Miguel Andujar get key update after Yankees sign Cody Bellinger originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The free agent market may start moving.
That’s good news for the middle tier of free agent hitters, like former Cincinnati Reds bats Austin Hays and Miguel Andujar, who both have gone past mid-January without new contracts yet.
They got help in their causes by the fact that the New York Yankees signed Cody Bellinger on Wednesday. Why’s that matter? Because all four big free agent hitters are now signed, with Bellinger joining Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman as being off the board.
“It usually helps when the big contracts are done for the next tiers of free agency to get going,” Cincinnati TV man Charlie Goldsmith wrote on X.
MORE: How Trent Grisham’s decision ruined the Yankees’ offseason plans
Hays and Andujar fit into that group. So too does former Reds slugger Eugenio Suarez, most recently of the Seattle Mariners.
It’s not clear if any of the next tier fit with Cincinnati, but Hays and Andujar likely appeal to a lot of teams.
They both have positional versatility, with Hays able to play all over the outfield while Andujar has experience on the dirt and in the grass.
Both are also especially good hitters against left-handed pitching, but also not bad against righties.
They’ve been linked to a bunch of different teams apiece this offseason, but the negotiations can probably start to actually take off now.
Don’t be surprised if the Bellinger signing sets off some dominos that finally get more hitter contracts done.
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