In April 2022, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a big commitment to Ke’Bryan Hayes, signing the then-25-year-old to an eight-year, $70 million extension. By locking him up for the rest of the decade, the Pirates seemed set at the hot corner for the foreseeable future.
The contract got off to a great start, as Hayes produced a career-high 4.5 WAR in 2022 and won his first Gold Glove award in 2023. His offense declined over the last two seasons, however, causing Pittsburgh to change course.
After posting a .573 OPS in 2024 and a career-worst .569 OPS through his first 100 games of 2025, the Pirates opted to move on from the 28-year-old, trading him to the division rival Cincinnati Reds for infield prospect Sammy Stafura, reliever Taylor Rogers and cash on July 30.
Rogers was immediately flipped to the Chicago Cubs for prospect Ivan Brethowr the next day. While Stafura and Brethowr both have potential, neither has reached Double-A yet and both are likely several years away from helping the Pirates at the Major League level.
Meanwhile, Hayes has immediately returned to form with the Reds, batting .280/.345/.450 with 10 extra-base hits, 11 RBI and 13 runs in his first 30 games for Cincinnati. He homered in his first game for the Reds and has kept hitting, slashing .339/.423/.548 over his last 18 games.
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While Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly ballpark has aided Hayes’ resurgence, it appears Pittsburgh gave up on him too soon. He’s still in his physical prime and under contract on a team-friendly deal through at least 2029. If his rebound his for real, he could still have several more productive years ahead of him.
Considering how desperately the Pirates need offense, perhaps they should have been more patient with him (or at least traded him outside the division).
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Featured image via Aaron Doster/Imagn Images