The MLB Trade Deadline is fast approaching, as teams are looking to bolster their squads as the possibility of a playoff berth looms, while others are just looking to end their season with some less baggage and start working on next year. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, they are in the latter group, as they are the only team in the NL Central with less than 50 wins, and their all-time record has just dropped below .500 for the first time in over a century.
One of the players that has come up all season
in trade conversations for the Buccos has been third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. The rumors of Hayes getting traded is really heating up, with the possibility growing larger with every passing day.
Ke'Bryan Hayes clears the deck with a NO DOUBTER
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) June 11, 2025
LET'S. GO.
102.2 MPH exit velocity, 413 feet, HR in 30/30 ballparks pic.twitter.com/UPiQrfHuRc
During a segment on 93.7 The Fan, Pittsburgh Post Gazette writer and Pirates insider Noah Hiles broke that the odds of Hayes getting traded are about 50/50, going onto stay that he thinks there might even be a 60 percent chance of it happening.
“Just from conversations that I’ve had. I’ve talked to people and they said, because there’s been a smoke connected to Ke’Bryan’s name in recent years, but they said this is more legitimate, like the rumors and everything. There’s actually substance and traction to them.”
Any team looking to make a deep run in the post season would love to have a player like Hayes at their disposal. Hayes of course is a former Gold Glove Award winner, and when healthy is one of the best defensive third baseman in the sport. At the plate, he’s struggled with inconsistency, and this season has been no different, as he’s currently slashing .238/.284/.293 with an OPS of .577 and just 2 home-runs. With that being said, any team with a strong enough lineup to contend wouldn’t mind sacrificing some juice in their lineup if they can get a generational type of defender out of the deal.
Hiles went on to say that any team trying to make the Pirates an offer would also be taking on a very team-friendly contract, which makes his marketability that much higher.
“I think there’s maybe one or two teams that might be willing to take on his contract, cause A. not that much money and B. 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.”
There have been several teams consistently showing up in this rumor mill, to include the Yankees, Tigers, and Cubs. It would be highly unlikely that the Pirates trade Hayes to a division rival like the Cubs, but any of the other aforementioned clubs make sense for both parties.
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The Tigers have a stranglehold on the AL Central, and adding Hayes would only further ensure their success for the back half of the regular season and then leading into the playoffs. The Yankees are currently two games back from the Blue Jays in the AL East, so adding Hayes to their lineup could put them over the top and back into the World Series conversation.
It does seem that Hayes’ time in Pittsburgh is unfortunately coming to an end. He has been an incredible third baseman, and is on track to win his second Gold Glove Award this year, but he just wasn't able to quite live up to his big contract and put the team on his back like the organization may have wanted him to.
The Pirates have a major issue with producing offense, so there is no room at this point for anyone that isn't going to be able to provide that kind of output. If the team does sever ties with Hayes, the hope would be that they can at least get good capital in return to try and rebuild with some outside talent.
The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31, and the Pirates are expected to make several trades, but certainly finding a trade partner for Hayes will be the biggest piece to move.
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