7-30-2025 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_EtHaN on X
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is on the move, as the 2023 Gold Glove winner heads to the Cincinnati Reds, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Hayes, 28, has a .236/.279/.369 slash with two home runs and 36 RBIs in 369 at-bats in 2025, along with 16 defensive runs saved per Fielding Bible, which ranks fourth in MLB and first among third basemen.
Offense has been the biggest question mark of Hayes game since his arrival with the Pirates in 2020, with his best offensive season coming in 2023, where he posted a career best .762 OPS.
Great American Ball Park, the home of the Reds, is also much more favorable to right-handed hitters than PNC Park, so Cincinnati will hope to unlock some offensive upside from Hayes, who is under team control until 2031 with a club option in 2030 after inking an 8-year, $70-million extension with the Pirates in 2022.
In return, Pittsburgh is receiving shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura and lefty relief pitcher Taylor Rogers.
Stafura, 20, was ranked ninth on the Reds prospect list per MLB Pipeline, and for good reason.
The 2023 second round selection has been impressive this season with Single-A affiliate Daytona, posting a .262/.393/.411 slash with four home runs and 48 RBIs across 321 at-bats in 88 games.
Stafura’s .804 OPS is also a career-best for the young shortstop, a considerbale notch above his .753 mark in 2024 with Daytona. He’s also quite the base stealer as well, posting 59 stolen bases in his minor league career thus far.
Cincinnati opted to play Stafura at only shortstop throughout his time in the minors thus far, as he’s showcased good range and IQ at the position, indicating it could be his long-term home for his professional career. MLB Pipeline lists Stafura’s MLB ETA as 2027.
Rogers, 34, is a veteran reliever that comes to Pittsburgh in this deal, having stints with Minnesota, San Diego, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Cincinnati, and now Pittsburgh.
Rogers has consistently been one of the better left-handed relief pitching options in baseball across his career, posting a 3.28 career ERA. He’s been impressive the last two seasons as well, even with age becoming a factor, posting a 2.40 ERA in 60 innings with the Giants in 2024 and a 2.45 ERA in 33 innings with the Reds this season.
Rogers features a sinker and sweeper mix, while occasionally using a four-seam fastball. The sweeper has been strong for Rogers this year, posting an opponent’s .177 batting average and .144 xBA along with a 34.8-percent whiff rate. The sinker tends to get beat up though, with a .441 opponent’s slugging percentage and just a 9.3-percent put away percentage attached to it.
Rogers is obviously not a long-term option for Pirates bullpen, but at the very least, he gives Pittsburgh a solid left-handed option for the remainder of 2025 as he’s slated for free agency at year’s end.
For Pittsburgh, the deal allows the Pirates to move off of Hayes and his contract, while Cincinnati greatly improves its infield defensively with a hope that Hayes can tap into his offense down the road.
All the best to Ke in Cincinnati – well, except when he faces the Pirates, that is.
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