Ke’Bryan Hayes gives Reds a Gold Glove reason to smile, not to stop worrying

The Cincinnati Reds have their first Gold Glove Award-winner since Tucker Barnhart took home the trophy in 2020. Ke'Bryan Hayes, who came over in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates ahead of the July 31 deadline, secured his second career Rawling Gold Glove Award on Sunday night.

Hayes was shoo-in for the award after leading all National League third basemen in defensive runs saved (19) and outs above average (22). Hayes is an elite defender, but his bat is somewhere between sub-par and nightmarish.

Hayes hit just .235/.290/.306 in 2025. Though his numbers with the Reds (.234/.315/.342) were slightly better than his overall line, Cincinnati can ill-afford to have that version of Hayes on the field in 2026.

Ke'Bryan Hayes win Gold Glove Award, but the Reds need him to do more than flash the leather in 2026

The 2025 campaign represented the second straight season in which Hayes posted an OPS below .700. Cincinnati doesn't need Hayes to be a middle-of-the-order bat who cranks out 30-plus home runs every season — though that would be nice. However, he can't be an automatic out. The Reds are paying him $30 million over the next four seasons, and need him to produce at the level he did two years ago.

In 2023 with the Pirates, Hayes posted a .271/.309/.453 slash line with a 101 wRC+. If Cincinnati can get that type of production from Hayes, Nick Krall will be doing backflips in the Reds front office. Any team would gladly pay Hayes $7.5 million per season if he's able to produce average, to even slightly below-average offensive numbers.

The problem for the Reds this past season was that they had too many players like Hayes in the lineup. Spencer Steer put together a Gold Glove-caliber résumé in 2025, but his bat was nowhere close to where it was a year ago. Matt McLain, though not recognized on a national scale, is an above-average defender at second base. Nevertheless, his bat was atrocious last season.

Reds manager Terry Francona prides himself on his team being solid defensively, but those same players who provide elite-level defense also need to supply some upside in the batters' box. Steer and McLain are both looking to bounce back in 2026, and the Reds need solid contributions from Hayes as well if they hope to return to the postseason.