SARASOTA, Fla. — Austin Hayse ral manager Mike Elias hasn’t signed a homegrown player to a multiyear extension since he took over in 2018. But Hays, who has two seasons until he is a free agent, believes that could be changing.
And he thinks he could be part of that movement.
“The organization is in a really good state,” Hays said. “We are starting to win a lot of games. We have a lot of guys that are in their mid-20′s, late-20′s, maybe not even in the prime of their career yet with their best baseball still to play. We’ll see what happens. I’m sure there’s a lot of guys in this locker room that feel the same I do.”
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Hays has been with the Orioles his entire career, and he’s hoping to keep it that way. He was drafted in 2016, the last successful year for the old regime. He debuted in 2017, then watched as the team traded off or didn’t re-sign its top players. He was in the organization for three 100-loss seasons, last year finally getting to the playoffs for the first time in his career.
“I’ve seen it turn around,” he said. “I think it’s going to be like this for a long time, as long as I’m going to play.”
Hays and his agent expressed their interest in an extension with the team during the offseason, although no formal talks have occurred. It was brought up again during the arbitration process — which did go to a hearing that Hays won, but he said there were no bad intentions from either side.
He now wants to be open with fans and the organization about his desire to stay in Baltimore.
“I love being here and I love everything that the organization and the city represent,” he said. “It’s the only place I’ve ever been, and I hope it’s the only place I ever play. I feel like I’m young enough and at a really good point in my career to be able to talk about it.”
