The Cincinnati Reds have pulled off a shocking trade involving a heated divisional foe.
The Reds have acquired Gold Glove-winning third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura and reliever Taylor Rogers, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Reds were in need of a third base upgrade, and while Hayes hasn’t been great offensively, he can really flash the leather at the hot corner.
Hayes, 28, has just two home runs and 36 RBI while slashing .236/.279/.290 in 100 games this season.
Hayes signed an eight-year, $70 million contract in 2022 with the Pirates. Cincinnati gets Hayes with five years of club control.
Hayes leads all third basemen with 15 Outs Above Average and 16 Defensive Runs Saved this season. A much-needed defensive upgrade for the Reds.
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Stafura, 20, has four home runs and 48 RBI while slashing .262/.393/.411 in 88 games with Single-A Daytona.
Stafura was Cincinnati’s No. 9 prospect. He’s got a great eye for the strike zone and has a lot of speed, stealing 28 bases this season.
Rogers, 34, is 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP in 40 appearances with Cincinnati this season. He has a career ERA of 3.28 in 549 relief appearances.
The Reds entered today eight-and-a-half games back from the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central and three games back from the third NL Wild Card spot.
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