Ke'Bryan Hayes Reportedly Traded to Reds, Pirates Get Taylor Rogers, Prospect

The Cincinnati Reds are acquiring third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes from the Pittsburgh Pirates ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline, Jeff Passan reported Wednesday for ESPN.

The Pirates received left-handed relief pitcher Taylor Rogers and shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura in return, per Passan.

Hayes, who is set to make $7 million this season, is under club control through 2030. He is ranked as one of the best fielders in MLB by Baseball Savant.

The Reds were previously linked to trade interest in Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez, but MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported on Wednesday that the Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies are considering the "primary" contenders to acquire Suárez.

Rogers, who is playing in his 10th MLB season, has recorded a 2.45 ERA and 1.455 WHIP through 40 appearances and 33.0 innings pitched so far this season.

He is playing on an expiring $12 million contract, which was offset by the $6 million the Reds received alongside his contract as part of a January trade with the San Francisco Giants.

Stafura was ranked as the Reds' No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline, although he has recorded a 23.9 percent strikeout rate through parts of two seasons in Single-A competition.

Hayes is one of just six fielders this season to be credited with an OAA of +15 or higher, per Baseball Savant. He leads all third baseman in the stat by 11 outs above average.

He also provided limited power at the plate, and had batted just .200 with a .447 OPS through 22 games in the month of July.

Hayes may not bring the offensive boost Suárez would have, but his elite defense will help shore up a position that has been in constant flux in Cincinnati this season.

The Pirates will meanwhile look to develop Stafura, and potentially flip Rogers' expiring contract before the trade window closes on Thursday, in order to back up the club's decision to part ways with a homegrown talent while moving a top defender to a divisional rival.

When setting a franchise record for total contract value by signing Hayes to an eight-year, $70 million deal in 2022, Pirates owner Bob Nutting said it was "time for us as an organization to put a stake in the ground."

The Pirates will instead part ways with Hayes just halfway through that record-setting contract. Jared Triolo is a likely candidate to slot in at third base in his place, per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.