Reds broadcaster's Ke'Bryan Hayes commentary has Pirates fans saying 'I told you so'

“At least it’s not a double play.” A downtrodden John Sadak chimed in on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ most recent flop. Hayes had grounded to short with the bases loaded and no one out, and the Philadelphia Phillies went home for the force play.

The bright side? The Reds had at least two more opportunities to bring a run home. The dark side? Hayes continues to be one of the least productive batters in baseball. Pittsburgh Pirates fans could have told you so.

When the Pirates sent the Gold Glove Award-winner and recipient of Pittsburgh’s richest contract in franchise history to Cincinnati, some may have feared the loss of a tremendous defender at the hot corner. But shrewd (or even casual) viewers would have noted that Hayes failed to produce on the offensive side of the game.

At his best, Hayes is around a .750 OPS player, and since moving to the Reds, he hasn’t been at his best. As Sadak observed, just like every other time Hayes has come to the plate with the bases juiced, he has failed to produce.

Pirates fans breath a sigh of relief watching Ke’Bryan Hayes struggle with Reds

When Hayes first joined Cincinnati, it seemed like the Pirates’ division rival had gotten a steal in the trade, which sent Taylor Rogers and prospect Sammy Stafura to Pittsburgh. Hayes went .281/.353/.421 for the Reds over his first 38 games while the Pirates flipped Rogers to the Chicago Cubs. Luckily for Pirates fans, Hayes limped to the finish line, posting a .081 average with just one RBI over his final 14 games

This offseason, the Pirates did little to address the hole at third base. Thankfully, Nick Gonzales has worked out well, and Pittsburgh can at least celebrate not holding its breath every time Hayes comes up to the plate. As a comparison, Gonzales has a 113 wRC+; Hayes sits at 12.

You could, of course, chalk up Hayes’s struggles to bad luck. He has the highest differential between his expected wOBA and actual. But considering his history, the Pirates must feel good about offloading an offensive albatross. The damage being dealt to a division rival is even sweeter.

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