The Cincinnati Reds have bolstered their infield as the team has traded with the Pittsburgh Pirates to get a massive player in third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. This is arguably the biggest move so far in the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline, so let’s take a closer look as to what this means for both teams going forward for the 2025 season and beyond.
Cincinnati Reds Trade for Ke’Bryan Hayes
The Cincinnati Reds have officially traded shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura and left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. This move is a bit of a headscratcher as the Reds certainly improved with this trade, but needed some more pop in the lineup. Hayes has a .236/.279/.290 slash line with a pair of home runs, 36 RBI, 34 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases on 12 attempts in 100 games this season.
Hayes is under contract for five seasons, making the defensive-minded third baseman one of the top players available during the trade deadline. The price was a bit steep (as we will discuss later) but the left side of the infield being Ke’Bryan Hayes and Elly De La Cruz will be great for ground ball pitchers that the Reds have in that span. Entering play on Wednesday, the Reds are 17th in the majors with a .712 team OPS and Hayes is not going to be considered a threat at the plate, but certainly improves the defense at a cost-effective rate.
The Pirates now have the Cincinnati Reds’ ninth-ranked prospect in shortstop Sammy Stafura, who is currently in Single-A with great speed and is still just 20 years old. It will be interesting to see if Taylor Rogers is going to be flipped for more prospects or if he will be replacing someone like David Betnar in the bullpen before Thursday’s trade deadline hits.
