Pittsburgh Pirates 2022 Staff Predictions: Marty Leap

Bold Prediction – Pittsburgh Pirates Extend Ke’Bryan Hayes

My bold prediction for the 2022 season is that at some point between now and the end of the season the Pittsburgh Pirates and Ke’Bryan Hayes will come to terms on a long-term contract extension. This is a move that would be a positive for many reasons.

First of all, it would lock up a key member of the Pirate core for the long-term. Hayes may already be the best defensive third baseman in baseball. If he can become even average offensively then you have at least a 3-4 WAR player on your hands. This type of player can be a key piece on a club that wins a lot of baseball games.

Second, extending Hayes would show a commitment from the front office to keep their young stars around. During the last window of Pirate content they did a great job of locking up their young players. At some point between 2011 and 2015 Andrew McCutchen, Charlie Morton, Francisco Cervelli, Gregory Polanco, Josh Harrison, and Starling Marte all signed contract extensions with the Pirates. Extending Hayes would show the Pirates are ready to do the same thing with their new core.

Finally, extending Hayes would create a lot of good PR with the fan base. While no team in sports should ever make moves based on this if there is any team that needs good PR right now it’s the Pirates.

This past weekend it was reported that extension talks between the Pirates and Hayes were heating up. With the Pirates “making a serious effort” to extend Hayes there is reason to believe something could get done. Look for something to get done in the coming months.