Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is drawing interest from multiple teams, with reporter Francys Romero listing last week that the Cubs, Tigers, and Yankees were all “potential suitors.” Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote a few days ago that Hayes was indeed “on the Yankees’ radar,” and Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Chicago and Detroit have also checked in with the Pirates about Hayes’ status.
Hayes remains one of the sport’s best defenders at any position, as he is again posting fantastic numbers (+13 Outs Above Average, +11 Defensive Runs Saved) over 710 1/3 innings at the hot corner. The 28-year-old has also played in 83 games this season and thus far stayed off the injured list, which is noteworthy given how recurring back problems have plagued Hayes for multiple years, and limited him to just 96 games in 2024.
On the down side, Hayes is still producing next to nothing at the plate. It seemed as though Hayes was turning a corner with his .762 OPS season in 2023, as even producing league-average offense along with his superb glove would’ve made Hayes a great all-around boost to Pittsburgh’s lineup. However, his bat has cratered over the last two years, as his .238/.288/.295 slash line over 721 plate appearances has resulted in a dismal 62 wRC+. Since Opening Day, Hayes has the lowest wRC+ of any player in baseball with at least 700 PA.
Another possible obstacle to a trade is the eight-year, $70MM extension Hayes signed with the Pirates in April 2022. He is still owed the remainder of his $7MM salary for 2025, $30MM over the 2026-29 seasons, and then a $6MM buyout of a $12MM club option for the 2030 campaign. As great as Hayes’ glovework is, a trade partner would be taking a risk in absorbing over $39MM for a player with a history of both back problems and lackluster offense.
Third base has been a problem area for the Cubs all season, as the team’s hope that top prospect Matt Shaw was ready for prime time hasn’t yet paid off. A month-long demotion to Triple-A resulted in a brief surge at the plate once Shaw was recalled to the majors in May, but his bat tapered off again, and Shaw is hitting only .207/.288/.293 over 222 PA. Backup options like Vidal Brujan or Jon Berti also haven’t contributed much, leaving the hot corner as a clear weak link in an otherwise very strong Chicago lineup.
Hayes’ lack of pop would be less of an issue amidst so many other strong hitters, yet Shaw is no slouch with the glove himself — he has +6 DRS, though the OAA metric has him only league-average over 487 2/3 innings at third base. Acquiring Hayes would also block Shaw at third base over an extended period of time, whereas just picking up a rental third baseman at the deadline would help the Cubs’ chances of winning in 2025 while still keeping Shaw in line as the third baseman of the future.
It can be argued that third base isn’t even a need position for the Tigers at all, as the position has become Zach McKinstry’s most common pathway into the lineup. McKinstry is hitting an impressive .285/.356/.456 over 307 PA, and he has gone from being a utility option to a near-everyday option for manager A.J. Hinch. The advanced metrics indicate that McKinstry is due for regression, however, and the fact that he hasn’t hit anywhere near this level in his previous five Major League seasons could leave Detroit looking for more stability at third base.
Javier Baez, Colt Keith, Jace Jung, and Andy Ibanez have all also seen time at third base for the Tigers this year, with the latter two currently in Triple-A. Baez looks to have re-established himself at shortstop and Detroit would love to see Keith find a regular spot for himself in the lineup, as his past positions of first and second base have been filled by Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torres. Relying on Keith for a pennant run is risky, however, so the Tigers may prefer exploring veteran third base options at the deadline.
From the Pirates’ perspective, it isn’t surprising that the club is already open to moving a player that so recently seemed like a building block. With the Buccos now approaching their seventh straight losing season, it isn’t clear if their rebuild is bearing much fruit, even with Paul Skenes’ rise to superstardom and so many other promising young arms on the way. The struggling Pirates are reportedly open to moving basically anyone besides Skenes and Andrew McCutchen, and dealing Hayes has the side benefit of moving a long-term financial commitment from the team’s books.
Nope. No. Naw.
Astute analysis.
Why weren’t the Yankees talked about in more detail? Of all the teams mentioned in the opening paragraph, I feel they make the most sense. They can absorb Hayes’ lack of offense and plug him into the 8 or 9 hole, and his defense would make their pitching staff so much better, especially as they focus on ground ball pitchers in their hitters’ paradise of a home park. Throw in a bad salary for this year to help with the luxury tax and to keep Pittsburgh from another grievance against them. Cherry on top is he gets to go from Pittsburgh to the Yankees just like his dad Charlie did in ‘96.
The Yankees signed Jeimar Candelario to a AAA contract wirh the idea that they can coax the player he was woth rhe Cubs out of him for the major league minimum while the Reds pay the rest.
It is worth a shot for that price. If in the next two weeks he starts hitting at Scranton, he’ll be next up.
Agreed. Hayes only makes sense for the Yankees.
Yeah the Yanks were tied to him in the off-season. It’s weird that they wouldn’t ny want him now. His dad, Charlie, was a Yankee third baseman during their late 90s winning era.
If the Yankees had any interest the trade would have been already made. Finding a good fielding, poor hitting 3rd baseman is not hard to do. Peraza would fit the bill and he is only making the minimum. Nobody is touching that awful contract.
The Yankees already have their next 3b. The Yankees are broke, can’t spend without cutting. The signed Candelario to a minor league contract. Oswald Peraza will be hitting the waiver wire for the Pirates to pick up.
Agree, that’s a hard no for the Cubs. Shaw is playing great defense and hitting as poorly as Hayes. Geno or bust.
And cheaper too, I don’t mind them spending money but not $7M more for basically the same player but hits a lil bit better and more injury prone.
Hayes can play SS and 3b, and for a big market team, if he can play corner OF, he would not be too overpaid as a utility player. (5m for a top end utility guy is not uncommon for big market teams)
He’s only played 5 innings at shortstop and 0 innings in the outfield. so he isn’t much of a utility player. If he didn’t have so many years left on his contract, it might not be a bad pickup but he’s not raising the level of the team at all.
It would make no sense for the Cubs to make that move. Even if he could halfway hit, he can’t stay on the field.
To bad your not the one making the decision bet he’s a cub before August
It’s too not to. And too bad you’re not the one either
Tigers need a bat to support Greene, if anything. Not the worst offensive starter in MLB
Not on my team. Go Brett Baty!
Pnc is worst park for RHH. He’s closer to league average away from PNC
Hayes numbers are better at home than on the road. His batting average is 36 points lower and his OPS is 91 points lower at home..
Nope. KB is not needed in Chicago unless it’s a poison pill to some pitching. Pitching is desperately needed.
No thanks. Shaw is sucking bad at hitting right now but he’s doing great defensively. Hayes is also a bad hitter so no need to get rid of prospects for a lateral move at 3B
Yankees seem like the best fit. Kay and jomboy can then stop talking about how bad their infield defence is.
The Yankees don’t have any major league players who have several years of control to trade
Cherington doesn’t want low level prospects, he wants to keep his job
No one is trading a major league player with several years of control for Hayes. This would be a salary dump for the Pirates.
I like Hayes a lot. His defense is poetry in motion. I think he may even have untapped offensive upside, but the balky back, poor offensive track record, and long term contract combine to mean he has very little trade value.
Saying his contract is a “possible” obstacle to a trade is down right hilarious! Ya think?!
apparently you haven’t been reading anything Cherington has said over the past few weeks.
Typical no nothing who pretends to know everything
Talent for talent trades rarely happen. He can ask for whatever but he’s likely going to settle for prospects. If a team is willing to take on like 80/90% of that deal he’ll take whatever.
For all the crap the owner takes how about you getting a front office that can draft and develop prospects. If you can’t do that as a small market spending 20,30 or 40 million a year is going to do nothing but move you from 68 wins to 74 cool still useless.
Ke’Bryan Hayes does not solve the lack of power production from what the Cubs are getting. Shaw is better on defense as well. Taking nothing from Hayes
Nobody can deny Hoyer is moron if he does this can you? I don’t think anybody can defend him at this point anymore. Sorry. He’s just going to do something to do something even if it’s moronic. He’s gotta go.
I’m not the biggest Hoyer fan by any means but the Cubs have a great team and since Carter Hawkins has been in Chicago, the Cubs have arguably been the best drafting team in the majors.
The people who defend Hoyer are disgusting. Hoyer and Ricketts can go around their yards and pick up buckets of Dog Excrement and take it to Wrigley and sell it as Steak De Wrigley and you’d lap it up while singing that stupid song, Go Cubs Go! If you are desperate enough to let him spend whatever is owed that idiot Hayes out of his contract this year for something you already have well you deserve your Steak De Wrigley with Cheese Sauce. Where were you when you gave him a break for trading BOTH of the 3rd Baseman they did have for a guy you can’t re sign? As far as Hawkins being responsible for the draft that’s an even bigger joke. The Cubs scouts and Kanttzler re responsible for that as was the guys who came before them. Callis and his dumb friends have been underplaying the Cubs prospects for years. Enjoy your Steak De Wrigley and sing Go Cubs Go til your ears bleed. My God.
Good grief man. You have got to calm down. “Disgusting”? That is a wild thing to say. Are you trying to be offensive with your posts? You can disagree with people in a civilized way.
Disgusting a bit much or ya? Sorry if you’re squeamish. How’s nauseating? Sickening? Sad? Any of those work better for ya? I’ve been listening to the drivel about this guy for 10 years. Sorry if I’ve had it up to my eyeballs.
Now Uncle–ChrisEnvy is 100% correct.
YOU cannot have it both ways so quit your timeline. I have pointed out a number of times that Hoyer has THREE World Series championships on his resume and you continue to say none of that counts because Theo was in charge.
So you can’t count your drivel until 2020—and all Jed has done since THEN is take apart a core (gave up Bryant, Rizzo, Contreras, Schwarber,, Baez) and quickly rebuilt a farm system—by your numerous posts they have about 30 worthy pitchers, and built a major league roster soundly in the top 4 to 6 in the sport. There is nothing wrong with that in a relatively short window.
I do get a kick of our banter over the past few season but throwing nauseating, sickening and sad at Chris is a little bit like the pot calling the kettle black.
And this whole thread started with your personal bias towards something Mark Polishuk wrote about the Cubs have potential interest in Hayes, along with other teams.
You know Hoyer so well, you know 100% that Hoyer has never said anything about Hayes–he CAN’T it’s against baseball rules. You know Hoyer so well that you are aware that he doesn’t talk about any issues concerning his own players in public by name.
You “might” be in a better place if you do disagree in a more civilized…..unless you actually finished last in your fantasy football league and this is just a schtick of a punishment that you are required to go online everyday and ruin your own day in a public forum.
People still play Fantasy Football? Huh, Who knew?
Shaw isn’t on the same level defensively as Hayes. I wouldn’t trade for Hayes unless it was to take the sting out of prospect package for Keller but to suggest Shaw is better defensively is just plain ignorant. Shaw has been fantastic defensively at third, Hayes is next level.
To put it in perspective PCA DRS 13 OAA 14 Hayes DRS 11 OAA 13.
Is Hayes better than Shaw right now? Sure. No problem with that.
To me, the most evident weakness the Cubs have—and third base becomes collateral damage in this—is the #5 spot in the batting order.
In this day and age of baseball (and it took me long to adjust) the upper half of the batter order is almost always right-left-right-left which leaves the Cubs batting Dansby #5 most often. As a shortstop—Dansby is well above average offensively—but as a #5 hitter—not so good in comparison.
It was gratefully refreshing last night to see Counsell go “against the grain” and bat PCA and Busch back to back at 4-5. Perhaps a sign of things to come.
Back to third base becoming collateral damage in this argument–it’s the only position the Cubs can greatly improve upon. And if there is a third baseman that is significantly better offensively than Dansby is—a trade makes sense—if not you are only improving marginally.
Suarez or bust. I honestly believe Shaw might improve if left alone, but I don’t think they wanna risk it.
Yeah pull the rug out from another prospect. People have short memories around here. I mean it was only about a year ago PCA was shipped out( I thought never to be heard from again) Rather than letting him figure it out in the Bigs. Now you’re all there singing MVP and acting like you weren’t saying he’d never make it. Think back, Or all of you should go get yourselves checked for Alzheimers.
the knock on PCA was that he felt D first OF with the across the board skills. I never doubted he could be good across the board, but no one in their right mind every predicts a 40hr 40sb type season out of anyone. I think we all predicted .280 20hr, 20sb with GG level fielding….. he was just the one in 100 guys who we all think should do that, and somehow did way way more.
Suarez makes sense! Bat him 4th or 5th and move Dansby as far down as he can possibly go. Hayes is a minimal upgrade over Shaw and more expensive. Hoyer knows how to burn money, so it wouldn’t shock me. Suarez and a top of the rotation arm and this team can contend!
You could see it with PCA, I was singing his praises early on. Shaw just doesn’t seem to be getting it. Even when everyone else is hitting, Shaw isn’t. I think he could possibly turn it around but he isn’t looking like he’s adjusting well.
PCA’s hitting, Unless he suddenly learns to swing at strikes is probably unsustainable as good as he’s been in the first half. He hits way too many pitches out of the zone hard and unless he suddenly gets a better eye is gonna dip a bit. PCA when he first came up used to leave the bat on his shoulder and point it towards the pitcher so he was always late. Now he starts with it on his shoulder and then raises it into position and is on time. The only guy I’ve ever seen succeed at that for a whole career was Manny Sanguillen. Guy was amazing. I have no idea why Shaw won’t lose the stupid leg kick that’s his downfall whether it’s coaching or him not LISTENING to the Coaches but once he figures out he won’t succeed hitting everything late he’ll be mediocre at best. He has to figure it out on his own. Not going to do that in IOWA. His bat is quick enough, He just starts off behind and won’t ever catch up that way.
There is a history in MLB of players that can hit bad balls. If he can reach the ball and hit it hard (which he has) then there is no reason to believe he can’t continue to do so. Saying it will dip a bit is conjecture on your part.
Shaw isn’t. making the adjustments. He doesn’t seem to be able to do so right now and likely being late is why everything he actually does hit is hit the other way. You can at the moment afford to allow him to learn because our offense is good but it can still cost the Cubs games if they don’t get production from 3B. I don’t know who they can go get to replace him though. Maybe with Hawkins ties to Cleveland they can pull away Jose Ramirez? They are 6.5 games out of the wild card with 7 teams ahead of them.
Leave Shaw at third base. Play him every day. He’s hit at every level, he’ll get there.
And he’s fine defensively. Cubs have plenty of offense, they don’t need Shaw to hit right now. Get a solid starter and another reliever.
No he’s not better on defense than Hayes!
Better defense? You watch many games? Hayes bat lacks. Agree in that but he is by far the best defensive third baseman in baseball
Then you’re on drugs if you think he’s better than either Machado or Arenado. And Shaw is getting better everyday at 3B. If they were just smart enough to leave him alone he’d be fine. Hayes couldn’t hold Machado’s or Arenado’s jock.
He’s leading 3rd baseman in defensive runs saved. He is better defensively and has been for a few years
And having watched nearly every game he’s played here, I’d still take Machado over him in a heartbeat. Or Arenado
I’ll grant you Hayes has a glove but it’s a lot like having Skenes in this team. Nice, but the weekend alone should demonstrate the idea that you can have all the pitching and defense you like, but it means squat when the team can’t hit. Hayes was signed as a total player and looks more like the old time defensive replacements that came in during late innings. Huge bust
Hayes if healthy is not a huge bust.
He is certainly not a real cornerstone and never was.
That was PR for a team losing 100 games.
His ceiling was always 12-15 HRs and a 270 avg.
He is averaging more like 8-10 and 240.
The Pirates are always criticized for not spending on free agents but instead sign their own players to this type of long range deal.
Who knows how much his back limits him from generally reaching his ceiling.
He is a wizard at third base and smooth enough to win a GG when healthy.
But Triolo is basically a replacement in kind without the contract so they should trade Hayes if they can and get a good relief pitcher in return.
He would probably not bring any more.
If you combine the bat! If not you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Disagree, Mendoza, and I’ll spare you the back and forth on it. You have your opinion. I have mine. And they pre-date the back issues. This guy was never going to be more than a singles hitter.
And again, to me a huge bust
Hayes is a bust Arenado is the only name I’ve ever mentioned in the same breath with Brooks Robinson. Machado would be that good but his head gets in his way. He loses his concentration when things don’t go his way but otherwise is in the same category as the other 2 guys , He’s just not as consistent. Hayes is mostly a waste of a roster spot s he can’t hit and there are plenty of good field , No hit IF’s. And he’s surely a waste of money. Unless Nutting is eating most of it to move him. You see him doing that? Make me laugh. I don’t even want him for free.
I never said he was in either of those guys league. He has no power and goes through his little grumpy sad phases all the time. He and Reynolds share the blame with ownership and the front office for how bad they are. Reynolds looks clueless at the plate this season. Would like to see both get traded
They must have given him a GG by mistake then as both Machado and Arenado were active.
A ceiling of 12-15 home runs and 270 batting average is basically a singles hitter.
Who assigned the ceiling, Mendoza? Where did that come from, the scouting department? The player development folks?
He’s not Tim Foli, I’ll grant that. But come on.
On a separate note, it’s interesting to me that
literally every columnist in the PG and Trib are taking shots at Nutting, Cherington and the gang and advising that it’s time to blow it all up again, other than Skenes
If the Pirates were trying to kill baseball fandom in this town, they couldn’t have done a better job
They were calling him a doubles hitter but no one said that he would be a power hitter.
They were enthralled with his defense.
He has a long loopy swing and seems to me to under slice the ball.
Not exactly designed for power.
I do not recall how I got the ceiling stats but they may have been my own making based on his expectations.
He is not matching them and is not a doubles machine and probably will never meet either.
But my definition of huge bust is different than yours.
It’s sad what’s become of the Pirates organization. They were so fun to watch in the 70s.
There will never be another 70s, so many small market teams winning World Series: Oakland (3), Cinc (3), :Pitt (2), Balt (1).
Yeah. You’re right, Mendoza. A bust signing would be a Chisenhall type or Derek Bell. Hayes isn’t that. I’m sure the kid is trying and he’s a solid defensive player
But again, this was a management team desperate to show that with their farm, they’d turned the corner, hence the big, long contract. A misfire, at least
And 84, that’s fine with me. You’re right. We’ll never see those small market teams at that level again unless they catch lightning in a bottle. I’ll take a .500 team that plays hard each and every inning. That’s my biggest gripe here. The focus, the intensity, the hatred of losing or being shown up. And a focus on fundamentals, which is just absent
To me, these types of teams can only compete from the ground up using the TB blueprint. I think the Pirates went this angle but failed miserably in scouting and development. Instead of burning it all down and making the admission, they’d rather keep telling you they’re a player or two away, then sign guys who are on their way to playing in Asia.
Now those were busts,including the shortstop from the Twins at the end of the 1990’s.
I agree that he has fallen dearly short of his hype,and not all is due to his back.
He seems too lackadaisical to me.
Hopefully some team will be enthralled by his excellent fielding and think that they can clearly improve his hitting.I would not give him away but I do not think that he will bring more than a decent ML reliever.
I know that Triolo is not a better hitter but he brings a little power and he fields almost as good and would be a much cheaper substitute.
That is if Nutting puts the money saved back into the team.
I agree with you on the underwhelming success.
I have seen this with several other teams,but quite often because of poor general management.
Cherington is at best mediocre and that does not cut it for a small market team.
Nutting should have figured that out long before now.
He has no sense of urgency,and that trickles down to everyone else.
I still think that that and his lack of baseball sense especially in keeping mediocrities are his biggest drawbacks.
Dream always says good GMs, scouts and development people don’t grow on trees. And the best cost money. I get all that
But in any industry, you have young people who are hungry to make names for themselves and ascend the corporate ladder. You can’t tell me these types aren’t out there, hungry for a chance. And you can’t tell me they wouldn’t do a better job than what’s here
He’s 13+ plus and 9 more than next third baseman. The two you mentioned aren’t in top 10 this year
Steve, I appreciate your comments. That’s fine Arenado is aging but still is a much bigger threat at the plate. Machado even more so
Hayes is surely a good defensive player and occasionally gets a hit, and my critique has nothing to do with back issues
On a good team, he’s a valuable piece. After all, Brooks Robinson wasn’t a big hitter, either. But to lock this guy up for a long contract and call him “the cornerstone of the franchise” was an outrageous misfire from, again, a franchise looking for a PR coup that screamed they’ve turned the corner
It hasn’t.
I never said he was anywhere as good with the bat as those 2.
wvsteve—all us Cubs fans revoked Unclemike’s defensive assessment card last season when he spent about four months trying to convince about nine of us that Christopher Morel “only needed reps.”
After pounding him back that Morel couldn’t play 3b, all he did was put up the worst defensive rating of any infielder in baseball, let alone third base.
And none of us tried to convince him of Morel’s problems by opinion—we continually pounded him with six years of defensive data, majors and minors.
And now–there is statistical evidence that Hayes has been the best defensive infielder in baseball over the past three seasons and he will still fall behind others in Uncle’s mind.
And to be clear—as a Cub fan, I am not in favor of the Cubs acquiring Hayes unless he’s replacing Berti on the roster—not Shaw—and at only a minimal trade cost.
As a buccos fan, trust me you don’t want Hayes in any capacity. He isn’t better than Shaw. His dad and brother are pain in the butts as well
Yeah I admit I whiffed on Morel. He has all the tools just no toolbox( Jimmy Piersall). He had the arm, The range just can’t seem to either catch the ball and when he does catch it, Can’t throw it. Thought maybe he could at least be serviceable but was wrong. But then Cam Smith showed up and was shown the door before he could even find an apartment and Morel was dealt for Parades and now none of them are here. So who’s fault is that? Oh yeah, The guy you love and makes me hurl. LMAO
They all probably want him to play for some other team.
Any good team though will expect him to perform well from the start.
He is not used to that.
Hayes would actually be a significant offensive upgrade from Peraza.
The Pirates would probably be thrilled to get rid of his contract. He’s a great defender but cannot hit at all, and chronic back issues don’t tend to get better with age.
Hayes visited his chiropractor in Houston a few weeks back and during an off day to get an adjustment on his back
He’s hit better since
He probably visited same massage parlor as Deshaun Watson
Hayes is no upgrade for the Tigers… they need a real hitter like Suarez or McMahon to play third, not a little puffy hitter like Hayes. Let’s hope someone else gets him before the Tigers make a foolish move like that.
Suarez isn’t a good hitter, he’s just the beneficiary of good accidental contact.
Suarez has 28 homers, 2.6 WAR… that’s not accidental.. There’s no diminishing that, makes you sound pathetic and jealous.
He makes ooga booga contact when he makes contact, but i agree that he is a free swinger. The power is for real, the question for him will always be if he can make enough contact to keep is BA near league average or not.
Here’s the thing. McInstry wasn’t McInstry until he changed his swing & became a slash hitter like Kwan (who is awesome). If Hayes stops trying to hit for power & tries to be a gap hitter, Comerica Park would be his savior.
You may be right, but I’m not willing to take that bet based on Hayes’ contract. Plus I’d hate to block Jace long term
I like the fit for the Yankees. They could use a right handed hitting 3b and they have enough offense to carry a defense first players. They can also afford his contract long term no problem.
I said it above. Brian Cashless went with Jeimar Candelario. If he hits .270 at Scranton he will be up by July 20th, at Major league minimum cost.
No one is counting on Jeimer in 2025, if he turns back the clock, cool, but the Yankees shouldn’t and won’t make any plans revolving around that happening
you act as if the signing of a minor league contract prohibit them from brining in someone else.
Pirates should offer a mid tier prospect along with Hayes just to make sure they get rid of contract. Reynolds as well.
First step in the right direction is overpay your best player in Skenes and lock him up for 10 @ $500M. Pile in the kids…it’s not like anything up there on the roster is doing any better.
The Pirates are not giving anyone $500 million.
Not possible. They finally gave a contract over $100 million to Reynolds. Half their payroll to someone who only goes every 5th day? Nope.
No, the first step in the right direction is to dump Hayes, sure, and then get a GM who’s young, fiery and looking to make a name for himself.
Agree about burning it all down. There is nothing here. But they need staff that recognizes and can develop young talent.
As for Skenes, why? There will be no contender here for the life of his contract. There’s no way they’d be able to lock him up. There’s no one on this roster who should be untouchable
No team could offer fair value for Skenes. Hold him for another couple years so the fans will come watch occasionally. You’ll get a great price then too
I actuall disagree. I would assume Konnor will be in AAA (or at least AA) all of 2026 and be ready for 2027. If you want to actually compete, you build with that timeline in mind. So target guys in high A or AA. Skenes got credit for a full year of service time, so there is only 4 more years of cost control (after this one), so he may not really be your solution. I would entertain moving Skenes for MORE than what Chochet got moved for.
Chrochet got a top 25 prospect (teel), up and coming top 50 prospect (Montgomery), mlb ready top 150 prospect (Meidroth) and an organization top 15 (so top 250) pitching prospect in Gonzalez….. basically the whole farm.
I would go to the Os who need pitching and have the players to make a deal work. Mayo, Basallo, Honeycutt, Reilly, German, Gibson for Skenes gives you your 3b and C of the future, and 4 top 200 prospects. Maybe push for Beavers in there too. That is a mostly blocked group of prospects for the Os, saves Elias his job, so he will push the chips all in. And the pirates have Mayo, Griffin, Bassallo as their big 3 for the next push, with a ton of guys with enough upside to have a whole team for the next 5-6 years while they have a legit playoff window around that core.
Agree 100% with you, James
Problem in Pittsburgh is two-fold. One, they fail miserably in the scouting department whether it’s assessing big league variety talent or possible draft picks (and they’re horrid where development is concerned). Two, they seem to believe that everything can be fixed by dropping into the dumpster year after year
Your idea is the most reasonable and has resembled others over the past couple years. Yet somehow, they never look employ foresight in their dealings
Just what the Yankees need: a 3B with no power and chronic back problems. At least the price is reasonable…
Hard pass for the Tigers. Terrible contract.
Soderstrom or Rooker + Severino for Hayes?
Dont think thats near enough for the A’s, sevy’s deal isnt that underwater considering what pitching goes for and his numbers away from Sutter field.
Even if the A’s were that desperate to move him, would Nutting be willing to take on both Rooker and Severino’s money?
Rooker has been solid this year, so that is a solid contract as of now.
A’s say no thanks.
Somehow I picture this guy getting the last out in the world series throwing off 3rd base.
The Tigers definitely don’t need this guy. Not unless the asking price is very, very cheap.
Yankees don’t need another injury prone player on a long term deal. I don’t want Arenado but rather have him than waste prospects/money on Hayes.
That headline should have read: Cubs, Tigers among teams desperate for a 3rd baseman.
The Cubs aren’t desperate for a 3B though
Ramon Urias is clearly available, whether the Os sell, buy or both (most likely). Why would anyone offer nearly as much for Hayes, with Urias available.
The Os have Westburg, Henderson and Holliday in the IF and near Urias replacements in AAA (Machin, Jackson and others). How does Hayes have close to the same value, with the albatross extension?
had not thought about that. Urias is a GG 3b in his own right, and with the line for being a hitter being that low with Hayes, i would rather have Urias as a rental. Urias is also a team player who has been fine with not playing every day. Not many guys win a GG and immediately lose their starting job the next year.
I would also expect Urias to cost a team an interesting prospect that is likely on the other teams top 20-30 (FV 40-45 types, but knowing Elias, it will be a guy they think they can fix ala Povich, or coming off injury ala McDermott- both of whom are the type of prospects i am thinking he would want for Urias)
I think Elias is targeting draft picks in 2026. Maybe some fliers. But if he can pick up some CB picks in 2026, plus some high ceiling guys like Rogers and Cano, with lots of control, selling on Urias, Mullins and Morton (Mountcastle if he’s marketable) makes a lot of sense.
For now, he may be willing to live with GRod, Bradish, Rogers, Povich, Kremer, Young, Wells and some FA signs as a 2026 rotation. And given the pristine 2026 payroll, he could go pretty hard after starters in the offseason.
He is already in the hot seat after they fired the manager a few weeks ago….. so i am not sure if he can think that long long term. I think you are right that he would deal Urias for a CB pick in a heartbeat.
He is in a really interesting position right now. The 3 moves he got the most guff for have all turned around. The 2 that matter to him are Rogers and Morton. Rogers looked like a stupid move, but Rogers is now back in the bigs and looking like he was actually fixed and is back to being a mid rotation player. Stowers cooled off from a hot start, and norby has been exactly what everyone assumed he would be (a solid MLB player without anything that makes him special at the big league level). So that trade now looks so much better. the other being Morton who was terrible at the start of the season, but has been great in his last 5-6 starts. So basically both those moves look far less crazy than they did only a month ago. (the 3rd being the Jack Flaherty trade, that clearly was just buying in on the guy 6 months too soon- and now looks like Elias was just a hair early on him).
Montcastle is not going to get much. 1b only non all star caliber bats tend to not get a ton in return. I think he is better off keeping him rather than the international money he may be able to get for Mountcastle.
Mullins moving is also tricky. They are going to want a 1 year bridge for Bradfield (doing ok in AA right now, but needs another year to be MLB ready unless something really changes). Mullins has a great glove in CF (and may be the only natural CF available at the deadline)….. but aside from a hot start- his offense has been bad. He would strictly be a rental, so the return also may not be high for a guy that fans love.
I don’t think you’ve checked out Dylan Beavers in AAA. Maybe the best all around player in the IL for a half season. Elias has already said he expects him in OPACY this year.
You don’t say that and hold on to Mullins. Add Dylan Carlson’s nice month and you’ve got lots of CF options. Without even thinking about Bradfield (who’s played relatively little and may himself be trade bait).
Unless Hayes is a salary dump in a larger deal for Skenes? 😉 Okay, more realistically packaged as a salary dump with some combo of Bednar, Keller, Reynolds, Santana who help address some of the Tigers other needs.
So the complaint on Shaw is that he’s not hitting but is an excellent fielder. So they’re going to give up something in a trade to get a worse contract for a guy they already have for next to nothing? Man just how stupid is Hoyer? I mean it’s not even debatable at this point is it?
If Hayes needs help moving, I’ll help load the U-Haul for him. The biggest bust signing in recent memory for this franchise. Please, take him.
Good defensive third baseman, sure, but a weak hitter. Mister Aloof.
they found out what happens when you try to be like the Braves and lock in young talent long term before they break out. Some guys never break out. Honestly 5 years ago (or thereabouts) we all thought the whitesox were doing it right locking young talent in for long term deals, but then Robert and Moncada never panned out- and the team was garbage as a result.
The braves were lucky to lock Acuna and Albies in for cheap.
James, you’d have thought they’d learned after they signed Gregory Polanco for 5 years after he was up at the MLB level for a year. Kid worked hard, by all accounts wanted to improve and was the consummate teammate. He just fizzled
The difference between the Pirates and Braves was the desperation here. Signing Hayes and calling him “the cornerstone of the franchise” was an extreme reach by a front office desperate to make it appear that the team had turned the corner. I’d submit that locking in Reynolds was another mistake but at least the guy hustles and will hit
Seems like the Cubs have been looking for a third baseman since Ron Santo.
You may have missed the Aramis Ramirez and Kris Bryant days.
I said “seems like” and Bryant was played all over, in left field as much as third at times.
Ever hear of Bill Madlock, traded because Phil Wrigley was cheap.
Never heard of the guy.
Just kidding.
Again, reading is a skill. Read every word, kids, before firing off like on Twitter.
As much as reading is a skill, so is stating facts. If you would have said “seems like the Cubs have been looking for a third baseman since Ron Santo, except for about 14 years in between” I would have been much more agreeable. And believe me—I remember all those third basemen between Santo and Aramis.
So in reality, it doesn’t seem like it at all.
The only way this would make sense for a team like the Cubs is if their scouting department sees something in his swing that they think they can fix to get more value out of him at the plate. But he’s not exactly a prospect anymore, and it’s still a massive risk to take. Unless it’s just a contract dump where a team assumes the rest of his deal as a way to leverage The Pirates into accepting less return for one of their better players.
i agree, or the pirates pay down about half that contract and Hayes agrees to being a utility guy. 3-4m for a utility guy who can play the corner OF and SS is worth it to most teams, and his contract is not that horrible that it cannot be bought down.
Hayes plays great defense, but the bat might make him a downgrade in Detroit. The Tigers should be looking for more pitching if anything.
the difference is that pitching is generally expensive on the trade market. Where a marginal upgrade for a position player is much cheaper. So Hayes may cost you a little money and/or a top 30 org prospect, where a Santana to be your 8th inning guy will cost you a top 15 org prospect….. adding wins is adding wins, and marginal upgrades are where most teams live these days.
I have absolutely no idea why the Cubs want Hayes. He can’t hit for average, doesn’t get on base and doesn’t slug. In other words, hes basically Shaw. And there is no platoon advantage since they both bat right-handed. And Shaw is terrific defensively so that negates any perceived improvement there. This makes no sense.
Detroit, please don’t.
Hayes was a ballyhooed prospect for a few years. The usual take about him was more power would come as he fills out. Well, that didn’t happen. Fact is, other than his GG caliber glove and double-digit steals, the rest of the package has been disappointing if not just plain bad.
Probably would have been traded already had not the Bucs given him that nice contract.
Still, there’s a possibility that going from a perennial loser to a winning team might get his motor going. To wit, gotta be big time tough going to the park every day knowing ahead of time that you have about a 65% chance of coming out on the short end of the score.
Going to Detroit won’t help unleash his power. Not in that ballpark. But I could see him flourishing with the Yankees. JMHO, but I doubt the Bucs want to trade him within the division to the Cubs. That, and I think Shaw is gonna be wearing a Cubs uniform for the next ten years.
I want Hayes to be traded. He’s so intriguing because he seems like a launch angle tweak away from breaking out offensively. I thought Matt Hague and Hayes would be a nice marriage as Hague seems to have been a part of getting a lot of line drives and good plate approaches out of hitters while in Toronto’s system. Hayes hits the ball hard enough and he doesn’t swing and miss. He just doesn’t lift anything. Not even line drives. Totally not with an eye on him regularly but looking at the plate discipline numbers and batted ball metrics, it looks like he’s too passive? Too defensive an approach both in swing decisions and in the swing itself? He’s not walking but he doesn’t swing a lot. Is he hitting from behind in the count too much and just defending the plate leading to all those ground ball outs? I’m only just beginning to understand the bat tracking data but his bat speed being down a lot this year over the previous couple of years (in ‘23 he had enough bat speed to get to top end exit velo over 113 mph) doesn’t seem to be because he’s incapable of swinging fast, but because he’s not on time. Bat speed is measured at the point of contact and accelerates through the swing so if you are starting later and catching the ball deeper, the measured bat speed is going to be less than the same swing if you start earlier and catch the ball out front. The earlier part of the swing is also on the more downward plane so catching the ball deeper will lead to more grounders and fewer fly balls. The other thing that makes me think he’s starting late is that when he does lift the ball, he doesn’t pull it. Not even on his line drives. Around 15% pull in the air is not going to lead to great results. But I really don’t think it’s a raw ability issue. It looks like approach.
I’ve always eyed him up as a breakout guy and maybe that ship has sailed as he gets deeper into his career. But I’d like to see a different player development/coaching staff work with him before giving up on that idea. I’ve watched the same cast of characters in Toronto turn their offensive production around this year by embracing some of the controlled aggression stuff under David Popkins among other system overhauls whereas the former hitting staff (that included Hague), had Toronto’s offense seemingly prioritizing avoiding swing and miss and simply putting the ball in play to terrible results. So I do believe it’s possible for a guy like Hayes to still shape shift at this point in his career. If George Springer can do it at 35, no reason to think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Thanks. Are you a Pirates fan with eyes on him day in and day out? Am I close with that passiveness assessment?
McKinstry changed his batting stance so comparing him to his past isn’t really appropriate. I just don’t see Hayes or McMahon really being an improvement. At best, they would platoon. I think Ramon Urius, from Baltimore, would be a better fit for the Tigers. He’s used to coming off the bench, and is an excellent glove.
and the cost would be comparatively low.
The Os likely ship you a decent RP (like Baker, or dominguez) with urias for a guy like Troy Melton… or I could see Urias being flipped for something like swanson…. the Os tend to ask for pitching prospects in trades
Please God no. Shaw plays well enough defense and hits about the same. Would be a horrible move after that extension. We really need more sellers ASAP if trade pickings are this slim…
Yankees mojo is their biggest detriment. They aren’t particularly great in any area & having Judge keeping them in games is only more frustrating as there nothing in the minors to come help them or trade. That Soto trade was there last gasp at a Championship. IMOP LAA made the biggest mistake in baseball history by not trading Othani for 6 prospects from the Dodgers where at least 3 would have been starters. Judge isn’t going to win just like Trout, if he doesn’t get traded. The Yankees would be better off trading Judge & try to rebuild quickly.
the yankees have a ton of money, and their system is not all bad. It is not star studded to pull of an Ohtani type trade (when he may have been available), but the Yankees work off of just signing 1-2 big name FA every year to keep the winning going.
Lombard looks like he will be their 2b/SS of the future (Volpe being the bigger question as to where lombard ends up), Jones has been legit good in the high minors this year and could be the biggest name prospect moved at the deadline. PEreria could also be an interesting depth prospect moved for a middle releiver to a team like the bucs whom would give him a longer leash.
The yankees are a solid top to bottom team- that have the peices to push in for a few fringe pieces without touching lombard.
Getting Hayes for the Tigers makes absolutely zero sense. McKinstrey has played great defense no matter where he’s stationed and his bat isn’t cooling off. I don’t see why he is “due for regression” when it’s well into July already and he is still crushing the ball? If your going to get a 3B via trade, get someone who can lengthen the lineup! Not someone who is quite literally the worst bat in MLB!
Doesn’t seem like Hayes would be much of an upgrade for the Cubs…Why has no one talked about Maikel Garcia as a trade possibility? Hoyer has added with the Royals before.
Garcia is an interesting player. I think that people are still unsure what KC is going to do at the deadline. The pirates are one of 4-5 teams that are sure fire sellers right now. Garcia could join the market around the all star game depending how this week goes.
With 3 wild cards, everyone is in the playoff picture way way longer. Basically you need 85 wins to be the last wildcard (generally) and that is only a few games over .500, so teams 10 games below 500 still think an amazing week puts them back in it. I am an Os fan, and do not expect to see a pre ASB deal get done with them since they just won 3 in a row, and if they make it 10 in a row going into the ASB they may not sell at all and make a run this year.
The pirates need to pick 4-5 building block pitchers, and deal the rest to solve their hitting.
A rebuilding to rebuilding trade for them with the Os. The Os have far too many bats and not enough pitching, where the Bucs are the opposite. Something like Jones for Mayo would make a lot of sense. Then the bucs have Mayo as their 3b of the future and the Os have a long term piece to add to their rotation. If something smaller makes sense; there are plenty of depth SP prospects the priates can move in a similar deal to a number of teams. They are great at developing pitching but not hitting, so trade for the hitter with your pitching.
Blockbuster trade thought- Os send Colby Mayo (blocked and struggling without getting regular playing time) for Solometo, Meuth and Jebb (who will be blocked soon enough)
Pitching is the one area the Pirates can deal from and that’s been the case for a couple years now. Their reluctance tells me that beyond Skenes, Keller and perhaps Jones, they are unable to make determinations as to who should be on the table
I’d love to see the upside of some of the position players here. It’s hard to see them building around Cruz. He can’t seem to get out of his own way in the mental sense. Who then? Nick Gonzales? Davis? Horwitz?
They’re just not a couple bats away from competing but rather a couple guys away from getting to around .500.
They need a boatload of guys with proven ability, and a player development staff that can refine their skills
i agree- he is not a trash player, and honestly is worth near his contract. Convincing fans that a GG player with a terrible bat is still better than the .270 25hr DH is a hard sell. The advanced metrics generally agree that they may both end up as 2ish WAR players, but fans want to see offense, not 1 more boarderline play at 3b every other game.
What a misleading title! I’ve never read anything that said a particular team was interested in Hayes. The only things I’ve seen are people speculating that some team could use him.
Cubs already got a stud defensive third base man who struggles to hit consistently.
I cannot see the point in getting Hayes if you’re the Cubs. He isn’t hitting much better than Shaw is but Shaw at least has upside you can imagine him getting to. The defense isn’t that far apart either. I don’t know who you go for at 3B but it can’t be Hayes.
Why upgrade Shaw with a more expensive version of Shaw?
Tigers don’t need this dud.
Nobody is taking this player with the contract he’s due the next few years . They would have to use him as a thrown in on a Bednar trade. Even then I can’t see anyone taking on the contract without taking a bad contract back…
Get whatever you can for him and unload him
With all of these trade proposals regarding Pirates players (Bednar, Santana, Keller, etc.), there’s something missing. Who are the Pirates going to get that will make them better in 2026. Who should the Pirates be targeting, and why?
They can only improve even if it’s in small increments. It’s hard to imagine that promising young players couldn’t provide at least as much punch as this lifeless offensive product they keep pushing out there
The idea shouldn’t be being competitive in ‘26 or really, ‘27. Their first need is to get a GM with some semblance of knowledge who will assemble a scouting staff and development department that can accurately assess talent and refine it through the farm. Young people perhaps who wish to make names for themselves in this business by taking a perennial loser higher. The Nats moved in this direction last week. It’s imperative here
Easy.The Pirates need MLB ready SS,RF,and 3B.The RF and 3B need to have power.The SS needs to hit at least 280 and field very well.
They have some pitching and lower minors players to deal.
With Griffin coming up quickly , not sure that SS is that great of a need. In fact, they still are awash in middle infielders in the minors. But I like the light-hearted tone here….”It’s easy, all the need…”
While they’re at it, good hitting LF, 1B and C would be nice.
My point is, the hole is too deep here and one or two guys aren’t going to change a lot
Griffin is the next wunderkind.
Just like Termarr was.
He is no longer in the top 100,just like Harrington.
Griffin may end up being a fine ML player,but he is at least 2-3 years from that.
I am like you,I would be happy with a winning season.
It is certainly not going to be this year.
Don’t look now, but Colt Keith has an OPS of .800.
Still only age 23 (for one more month), Keith HR’ed today 2nd day in a row. Kid is heating up. Each season he has struggled to start, but adjusted each time. He’s swinging it well.
He played DH tonight, but he’s in the mix at 3B with McKinstry, Javy and Vierling. I prefer all those guys to any guy they could acquire in a trade.
Unless the Indians want to trade Jose Ramirez, I prefer to solve 3B in house. Tigers are in more need of a bullpen arm.