With a little more than 24 hours before the deadline, the Reds bought themselves a third baseman with control. Former Gold Glove Ke’Bryan Hayes is headed to the Reds, as he’s the headliner of a three-player trade with the Pirates. Pittsburgh acquired veteran reliever Taylor Rogers & Minor League infielder Sammy Stafura.

The Reds’ Return

• 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (.236/.281/.290, 2 HR and 14 XBH over 100 GP)

The Pirates drafted Ke’Bryan Hayes, the son of former Major Leaguer Charlie Hayes, a decade ago in the first round. It took five years for him to get to the Majors, making his debut in the shortened 2020 season. However, he enjoyed good fortune in his rookie season, as he batted .376 with five home runs and a 1.124 OPS across 24 games.

That season, however, was not a sign of things to come.

Hayes posted a .400+ SLG just once across his last five Major League seasons, which includes this year. And when combining his 2024 and 2025 stats, his .571 OPS is the lowest among hitters with 750+ plate appearances in that span. That figure is 20 points lower than Orlando Arcia (.591), in second among that span.

He doesn’t walk much, and his 4.6% BB% from his 2025 numbers with the Pirates would represent a career low. There’s not a lot of power there, as Hayes is a spray hitter who likes to go inside-out.

The new Red’s biggest strength is his defense. A former NL Gold Glove winner, Hayes owned a +15 OAA at third base this season, easily the best among third basemen. The only player close to him as of now is Ernie Clement (+10).

Overall, he’s a +73 OAA for his career.

Hayes is in the middle of an eight-year, $70MM extension given to him earlier in the decade. The new Red has at least four more years on that deal, through the 2029 season. He also has a $12MM club option for the 2030 season.

The Pirates’ Return

• RP Taylor Rogers (2.45 ERA, 34 K over 33 IP)
• INF Sammy Stafura (.263/.393/.411, 4 HR and 31 XBH over 88 GP (A))

Pittsburgh gets back a Major League reliever, and a notable one at that, with Taylor Rogers.

Rogers, acquired by the Reds last winter from the Giants, has not had a stellar year in terms of metrics. His strikeout rate of 23.3% would be his lowest since the 2017 season, and opposing teams have hit the ball better off him.

Still, the overall numbers are not bad.

He’s a two-pitch pitcher, featuring a sinker and sweeper.

Additionally, the Pirates acquired Sammy Stafura, an upstate New York high school prepster taken in the second round two years ago in the second round. Generally speaking, Northeast high school products have to do a lot to get noticed, and Stafura, lauded for his speed and athleticism, came draft time two years ago, did that.

Stafura is a sizeable player at 6’0” but hasn’t shown himself to be a big-time hitter. This season, he sported a 2.7 Barrel/PA in Low-A, the second straight season he has spent in Daytona.

The 20-year-old drew plenty of walks down in Daytona (63 over 88 games), despite being willing to often expand out of the zone at a clip of 25.3% of the time. Additionally, he stole 25+ bases in both 2024 and 2025.

Analysis

The Reds didn’t have to give up a ton to get Hayes, whose value is mostly derived from his glove. While Stafura is a notable name given his pedigree, the reality is A) the Reds have depth in the infield across their system, and B) it does help their team now.

Now, the reality is Hayes isn’t likely going to be a contributor for the Reds — at least offensively. What he can do, however, is help with their defense, providing stability at third and helping out several of their ground-ball pitchers (Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer).

It also ends the revolving door at third base over the years, which has seen Jeimer Candelario and Spencer Steer, among others, get time at the position.

As for the Pirates, Pittsburgh moves off that contract and gets a young prospect with upside in Stafura. Stafura, if he can develop the bat more, could be a nice option down the road.

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