Pirates could have trade deadline leverage over Yankees with this roster advantage

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees have long been friendly trade partners. In some cases, the Pirates got the better end of the mighty Yankees, ringing success out of pitchers like AJ Burnett and Ivan Nova, and at other times, getting taken advantage of, like in the Jameson Taillon and Clay Holmes trades of 2021.

Now, a Yankees insider is floating the idea that the two sides could come together for a deal again, this time sending former Yankee and current Pirate Isiah Kiner-Falefa back to the Bronx. On the surface, there seems to be some logic behind the match, but would the Yankees truly welcome their former shortstop back into the fold?

The answer is, it's complicated. Kiner-Falefa's role with the Yankees was as the seat warmer for then-top prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza, as the club opted to sit out a generational free-agent shortstop class and instead looked for a bridge to their top prospects. Volpe's been just an okay player, while Peraza has been a huge disappointment. So while IKF wasn't necessarily a disappointment during his time in the Bronx, the whole gambit looks misguided in hindsight.

With that said, the Yankees could use help in the infield, and the Pirates are expected to be sitting pretty in a supreme seller's market. However, there might be better fits between the two clubs.

The Yankees might prefer to target a different Pirates infielder than Isiah Kiner-Falefa

With a .282 batting average through 64 games, Kiner-Falefa presents a contact bat that might be intriguing. However, a 4.7% walk rate and an anemic .352 slugging percentage severely limit his offensive upside.

IKF's mostly played shortstop this year, a position the Yankees don't really need help at. Instead, a third baseman would be preferable, as it would allow the Yankees to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to his natural second base after experimenting again with him at third and watching him post -2 defensive runs saved in just 120 innings since returning from the IL.

Kiner-Falefa has some experience at the hot corner, but his 25th percentile arm strength makes him a poor fit defensively there. Given a below-average offensive package, not playing premium defense at the Yankees' greatest position of need seems to be a non-starter.

Fortunately, Pittsburgh possesses another infielder on the block who matches up much better with what the Yankees seek. That player is Ke'Bryan Hayes.

Sure, Hayes has been very disappointing with the bat, but in the field he fits what the Yankees are trying to do perfectly. After missing out on Juan Soto in free agency, the Yankees pivoted to a pitching-and-defense philosophy, signing ace Max Fried and adding athletic pieces like Cody Bellinger.

Hayes currently leads MLB third basemen in defensive runs saved with eight. He'd not only improve New York's defense at third, but would allow for Chisholm Jr. to move back to second, where he was a plus defender posting three defensive runs saved prior to going down with an oblique injury.

If the Yankees buy in on the belief that they can get Hayes back to his 2023 form at the plate, even better. If not, they at least get a premium defender at a position of need in what is a very weak third base market.

Lastly, if nostalgia has any bearing, the IKF years in New York are often remembered as a major misstep, whereas the Yankees' connection to the Hayes family has nothing but fond memories, as the Pirates dealt Ke'Bryan's father, Charlie to New York in 1996 as the Yankees began the dynastic late-90s run.

If there's a deal to be had between these two clubs that lands a veteran infielder in New York, the smart money is on Hayes over Kiner-Falefa.