Sources: Pirates trade 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes to division rival Reds

Noah Hiles and Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jul 30, 2025

Published in Baseball

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SAN FRANCISCO — The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers and minor league infielder Sammy Stafura, sources confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday afternoon. MLB.com was first to report the news.

Hayes’ departure comes in his sixth major league season, all of them with the Pirates. He debuted in 2020 as a top-100 prospect, posting solid numbers in a pandemic-shortened season. The Pirates signed Hayes to an eight-year, $70 million extension in 2022. He won a Gold Glove award for the following season.

Stafura, 20, was the Reds’ second-round pick in 2023. He’s batting .262 with four homers, 48 RBIs and 28 stolen bases in Low-A this season with an .804 OPS. He’s listed at 6-foot, 188 pounds and considered the Reds’ No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Rogers, 34, is 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 40 appearances out of the Reds bullpen. He’s in his final year of a three-year, $33 million contract he signed with the San Francisco Giants in 2022.

Hayes entered Wednesday hitting .236 with two home runs in 369 at-bats, and that lack of power has been the story for the 28-year-old in Pittsburgh. His best year came in 2023, when he hit 15 homers with 61 RBIs. Otherwise, he never again hit double-digit home runs or 50 RBIs.

There are also health concerns following Hayes. His 2024 season ended with a second injured list stint last August, as back problems were a continual issue. He entered this season hoping to finally shake off the injury bug, and to his credit, he has played in 100 games so far in 2025. But despite that and the defense at the hot corner continuing to be elite, the Pirates obviously felt it was best to move on from their first-round pick in 2015 and look for a new long-term answer at third base.

The Pirates, of course, may not be done making moves. The MLB trade deadline is 6 p.m. ET Thursday, and pitchers David Bednar and Mitch Keller are high on the wish lists for contending teams.

Post-Gazette analysis

The prize of the trade is Stafura. Stafura’s a highly regarded position-player prospect — which the Pirates need more of — who has had solid production in Low-A. He’s added 18 doubles, a top-10 mark in the Florida State League, and nine triples, second most in the FSL. His bat is developing, which you’d expect given he was drafted out of Walter Panas High School in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., but it’s certainly shown promise.

Rogers and Hayes were due to make roughly the same amount of money this year, though Rogers is on an expiring contract. The Pirates could look to flip Rogers to a team that needs a reliever at the deadline.

Per a source, Hayes will be replaced on the major league roster in the short term by Jared Triolo. Triolo provides the Pirates with similar defense, as he won a Gold Glove as a utilityman last year. However, the Pirates are now looking for their third baseman of the future — if they hadn’t been already. Hayes was under contract through 2030 but was batting .236 with two homers and 36 RBIs.

The Pirates have struggled offensively with Hayes. Without him, they have the opportunity to find a third baseman with more offensive upside and can reinvest his contract to do so. While Hayes’ defense will be missed, this move both adds a solid prospect in Stafura and gives the Pirates more flexibility as they construct their roster for 2026 and beyond.

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