Pirates Rumors: This Ke’Bryan Hayes update feels like the end of the road in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes is popping up in the rumor mill ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, and it's hardly the first time. After all, for a Pirates team that is always selling at the deadline, practically every name on the roster is bound to pop up at some point.

This time, however, the rumors might have some more legitimacy to them.

Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said in a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan that Hayes would likely get traded by the MLB deadline on July 31, positing a 60% chance he gets dealt. Postseason-bound teams rumored to have interest in Hayes include the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers, to name a few.

"There's been a smoke connected to Ke'Bryan's name in recent years," Hiles said. "But they said this is more legitimate, like the rumors and everything. There's actually substance and traction to them."

Latest Ke’Bryan Hayes trade update feels like the end of the road in Pittsburgh

Hayes is a defensive juggernaut at third base, a position of need for a number of contending teams. He's still not scaring anyone with his bat, hitting .240/.287/.296 with just two home runs on the season. But the fact that he's managed to stay healthy this year is a major selling point, considering that any team willing to trade for him would also be taking on the remaining four years on his contract (plus a club option for 2030).

"I think there's maybe one or two teams that might be willing to take on his contract," Hiles said. "Because [it's] not that much money and... if you have a lot of slug in your lineup, if you have a lot of power hitters, adding a Gold Glove defender at third base makes sense. So I think there is an above average chance he gets traded."

At the time that Hayes signed his eight-year, $70 million extension with the Pirates in 2022, it was the largest contract in Pirates franchise history. In today's MLB, however, the $7 million he's earning in each of the next two seasons – which modestly increases to $8 million in the final two years of his deal – is a relative bargain for a Gold Glove third baseman.

Hayes is on track for his second career Gold Glove in 2025, with 14 outs above average and 10 runs prevented, the most of any third baseman in baseball for both categories. If the Pirates truly want to maximize value in a trade, now is the time.

More Pirates content from Rum Bunter