Cincinnati Reds to acquire 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes from Pittsburgh Pirates

He’ll bring his glove and not much else.

Ke’Bryan Hayes won a Gold Glove Award for his elite defense at the hot corner back in 2023, and every single defensive metric out there agrees he’s been one of the absolute best defenders at any position since his debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2020.

That’s been his lone calling card, more often than not, however. Despite a rock solid 2023 season overall where he hit .271/.309/.453 with a career-best 15 homers (and 103 OPS+), he’s just an 86 OPS+ hitter for his career through 576 games – and that dips to a dismal 60 OPS+ dating back to the start of the 2024 season.

Among the 161 hitters who’ve logged at least 750 PA since the start of last season, his 58 wRC+ in that span ranks last. Dead last.

Anyway, that’s what the Cincinnati Reds are up to this trade deadline. Per reports all over, the Reds have agreed to acquire Hayes and some portion of the remaining years on his contract from the Pittsburgh Pirates. So says MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Twitter, at least.

Hayes is signed through the 2029 season (with a team option for 2030), though at least his salaries during those years are somewhat eatable – $7 million for each of 2026 and 2027, and $8 million a year for 2028 and 2029. That’s if he doesn’t, y’know, miraculously resurrect his offensive career in that time and warrant those salaries.

Not only is this move questionable, it eats up a valued roster spot that the Reds could have allocated to an actual offensive upgrade. Yes, it secures their defense at a spot where there have been issues all year, but it now forces Noelvi Marte either into a bench role or into the short side of a RF platoon with both Jake Fraley and Will Benson out there, too.

MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon relays that Sammy Stafura will be the big piece heading to Pittsburgh in return, with the shell of Taylor Rogers – and his salary, presumptively – heading east, too. That’s not a huge loss for a farm system ripe with middle-infield talent, but it still begs the question of why was this a priority in the first place? It also begs the question of what other bullpen move is up the Reds sleeve since dropping Rogers opens up a spot there, too.