Ke'Bryan Hayes' father has Pirates fans scrambling after cryptic tweet

Everything means something during MLB trade deadline week, no matter how oblique a message may seem at first blush. Unsurprisingly, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes' father Charlie was the one to get everyone all riled up three days before the official deadline.

Hayes has been a long-rumored moving part, struggling to maintain his trajectory in Pittsburgh after signing a eight-year, $70 million deal back in 2022.

There's also been a narrative of dissatisfaction tied to him - very unfairly, and mostly propagated by the New York Yankees broadcasting team, but still. When MLB veteran Charlie Hayes tweets ... this, just a few days before his son's fate in Pittsburgh is sealed until the offseason, you listen.

The younger Hayes notched a two-run single in Pittsburgh's 6-0 win over Arizona on Sunday afternoon. On Monday, after losing the Yankees as a landing spot over the weekend and the rumor mill simmering to a light fizz instead of a full-blown boil, Hayes the elder tweeted, "Everything happens for a reason!!!" complete with three too many exclamation points.

Ke'Bryan Hayes' father Charlie tweets cryptic message that has Pirates fans wondering if he's out of Pittsburgh

Hayes' career hasn't gone as planned after back-to-back 4.0-WAR campaigns in 2022 and 2023, the latter of which featured a 103 OPS+, his only above-average offensive season to date.

No matter how much his bat has been negatively impacted by a lingering back injury, he's always been able to pick it at third, playing Gold Glove defense that borders on the best in the game.

His career has stalled, but that doesn't mean Pirates fans are thrilled if this does signal his departure. After all, he's one of their own, and a player they've always rooted for (and begged to discovered a sharper launch angle).

The return on a potential Hayes deal will be impossible to predict. It'll be minimal if the acquiring team takes on the entire remaining contract (through 2029), and it'd behoove the Pirates to split that money to improve their incoming prospect package. Does that sound like Bob Nutting to you, though?

Also, where would he go? The Yankees are off the table after acquiring Ryan McMahon to man third, and the Cubs seem to be shooting higher.

Either way, check back with Hayes' family for any future clarifiers and updates. They'll know first.