Pittsburgh Pirates attempting to lock Ke’Bryan Hayes in
It is no secret that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been looking to extend Ke’Bryan Hayes. They had previously floated the idea during spring training last year but had been rebuffed at the time. Hayes had rebuffed those offers at the time, but had also left the door open for extension talks in the future, saying that he wanted to win a championship with the team that drafted him.
That time may be now. The Pirates are reportedly making a serious effort to lock him in with a long term extension as they have made another offer to their young third baseman.
Pittsburgh Pirates looking at Ke’Bryan Hayes as a building block
To this point, the Pirates have not displayed even the slightest indication that they are going to come out of their rebuilding process any time soon. While the Pirates do have a couple of pieces that could be the cornerstones of a contending franchise, those pieces are few and far between.
Hayes could be one of those players although it is fair to wonder what type of player he will be. He appeared to be someone that could be an emerging star during the pandemic shortened 2020 season, but struggled through the 2021 campaign. He posted a .257/.316/.373 batting line in his 396 plate appearances, hitting six homers and 20 doubles with nine steals.
His struggles in 2021 can also be given a bit of a skewed look. He missed two months of the season with a wrist injury that may have sapped his power. Chances are, Hays is somewhere between his two extremes from the past two years – a solid piece in the middle of the batting order who could emerge as a superstar.
This also makes a possible extension all the more difficult to gauge. Likewise, Hayes is under team control through 2026, which would presumably give them time to determine what they have with him. However, as they do not have any guaranteed contracts for 2023 and beyond, Hayes could be the first piece of their future to be locked in, showing that they are committed to actually creating a contending team.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates and Ke’Bryan Hayes have mutual interest in a long term deal. This may be the time to get an extension taken care of.