Reds deal for Ke'Bryan Hayes suddenly doesn’t look as one-sided as once feared

The Cincinnati Reds swung a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates last summer to bring Gold Glove third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Queen City. We're not even a month into the 2026 season, and some Reds fans are already fed up with the trade.

Hayes is an elite defender at the hot corner, but his bat brings nothing to table. Firmly nestled into the No. 9 hole, Hayes is hitting a pathetic .085/.169/.136 with one home run and a -16 wRC+. He's shown a better approach at the dish this season, but the results have yet to materialize and the Cincinnati faithful are growing impatient.

To make matters worse, Hayes is one of the highest-paid players on the team. This season, he's taking home $7 million as part of an eight-year, $70 million deal he signed with the Pirates back in 2022. The Reds will be on the hook for the $30 million remaining on his contract, which stretches through the 2029 season.

Former Reds prospect Sammy Stafura is struggling with Pirates

Last summer's trade saw the Reds ship shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura and left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers to the Pirates in order to secure Hayes' services. Pittsburgh immediately turned around and dealt Rogers to the Chicago Cubs, but Staufra was a former second-round draft pick, a top-10 organizational prospect, and plays a premium position. That's a lot to give up for a player like Hayes whose career .675 OPS leaves a lot to be desired.

But Stafura has struggled since joining the Pirates organization. Last season, in 26 games at Pittsburgh's High-A affiliate in Greensboro, he hit just .160/.257/.255 with a 54 wRC+. This season, he's slugged three home runs in just nine games, but he's also struck out 16 times in 29 at-bats (42.1% K rate) and is hitting just .138.

Stafura is still just 21 years old, so there's plenty of time for Pittsburgh to retain some sort of value from the former Reds prospect. But with Konnor Griffin now firmly entrenched as the Pirates' shortstop of the future, Stafura will likely have to find an alternate route if he hopes to make his big-league dreams come true. He's seen a couple games at second base already this season.

There's certainly hope that Hayes can eventually find his way back to the player he was in 2023. He slashed .271/.309/.453 that season with 15 homers and a 101 wRC+. If the Reds can ever manage to squeeze that type of production out of Hayes' bat — and pair it with his top-tier defense — they'll be getting more than their money's worth.

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