When a team salary dumps a player, the only positive they’re likely looking for is getting money off the payroll. During last year’s trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates committed a salary dump trade, sending longtime third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds. They received back former second-round pick Sammy Stafura and veteran relief pitcher Taylor Rogers. However, while the Pirates’ main priority was to get Hayes’ remaining three years, $29 million guaranteed, off the books, the trade looks like it’ll bear much more fruit than just saving money.
The Ke’Bryan Hayes Trade Is Giving the Pirates More Than Just Salary Relief
Sammy Stafura Is Having a Promising Season
Stafura has spent most of 2026 at High-A Greensboro. He is batting .306/.376/.562 with a .404 wOBA and 128 wRC+ over 141 plate appearances for the Grasshoppers. The infielder is showing off both power and speed. He already has eight home runs with a .256 isolated slugging percentage. Plus, he has gone 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts. Stafura struggled in parts of 13 games at A-Ball Bradenton; however, that was during a rehab stint.
However, there are some question marks in Stafura’s game, especially regarding his plate discipline. While he has walked at a 10.6% rate at High-A, he has also struck out at a 30.6% rate. His contact rate is just 65.2%, and his called +swinging strike percentage comes in at 30%. Stafura has cut down on the K’s (27.9% K rate) while walking more frequently (14% BB rate) since returning to Greensboro; however, he’ll need to continue working on this.
Stafura currently ranks as the Pirates’ 19th-best prospect by Baseball America and their 10th-best by MLB Pipeline. Both praise his athleticism, speed, and fielding prowess at multiple infield positions. However, both are also not very bullish on his current look in the box given his plate discipline concerns. They also acknowledge his power potential. Given how well Stafura has done recently, with a 174 wRC+ since returning to High-A, he may move up, both the minor league ladder and prospect rankings, very soon.
Ke’Bryan Hayes Has Continued To Struggle in Cincinnati
When the Pirates traded Hayes, he was batting a meager .234/.281/.290 with a .255 wOBA and a 58 wRC+ between 2024-25. He walked just 5.8% of the time and hit for very little power. Hayes went yard just six times over 788 plate appearances with an isolated slugging percentage well below .100, coming in at .056. Of the very few positives he brought to the batter’s box, Hayes had a solid 19.8% strikeout rate and stole 21 bases. Of course, Hayes was as good as anyone when it came to third base defense. He had +26 defensive runs saved with +21 outs above average.
Hayes showed more offensive output with the Reds during the rest of 2025; however, it was only a marginal step up, as his wRC+ rose to 82. However, 2026 has mostly been a disaster for Hayes. His first 128 plate appearances yielded a .142/.195/.225 triple-slash and 10 wRC+ before landing on the injured list in late May with lumbar bulging discs. His third-base defense also suffered: while he had +7 DRS, he had zero OAA.
Back issues have been a recurring issue for Hayes, unfortunately. After a breakout 2023, Hayes only played in parts of 96 contests in 2024 when disc problems started affecting his play. The back issues have sapped much of Hayes’ raw power. His exit velocity from 2020 through 2023 came in at 91.3 MPH. Since then, he has an 89.3 MPH EV. He attempted to change his swing and stance to accommodate his chronic back issues; however, nothing has seemed to help.
Even the Other Part of the Trade Is Working in the Pirates’ Favor
Soon after the Pirates traded Hayes to the Reds, they flipped Rogers to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguer Ivan Brethrow. Rogers struggled badly with the Cubs, allowing ten earned runs on 18 hits, four of which were home runs, over 17.2 innings. Meanwhile, Brethrow has posted a respectable 102 wRC+ over 248 plate appearances in the Pirates’ system. The outfielder has missed time with injuries this year, but has posted about league-average numbers when healthy in the minor leagues since the Pirates acquired him.
Rarely does a team dumping a bloated contract in a salary dump move benefit far beyond just getting salary relief. However, the Pirates may benefit a ton in the very near future. Stafura has looked outstanding this year and is likely on pace to reach Double-A Altoona well before the end of the 2026 season. Hayes has not performed well, and the already glaring concerns with back problems are once again holding him back from his full potential.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
