"Pirates want another prospect to ruin their career" - MLB insider hints at $70,000,000 contract dump ahead of trade deadline

The Pittsburgh Pirates had one of their worst seasons in franchise history last year, and the National League Central team hasn't improved much in 2025 as they are 39-60 for the season.

The NL Central team has the fourth-worst record in baseball this season behind the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Nationals. With the team unlikely to make the postseason again, they are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline later this month.

MLB insider Noah Hiles joined the "Foul Territory" podcast to discuss the Pirates' plans with Ke'Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds. Podcast co-host Erik Kratz gave his take on Hayes' potential exit from the team. He said (1:20 onwards):

"Obviously, Ke'Bryan Hayes' value is in defense, and Bryan Reynolds is having a down year. So, for the Pirates who are historically stingy, historically cheap, they're two guys that are gonna cost them money. Are they looking to just dump these contracts? In reality, they obviously want a prospect.

"Obviously, they want to ruin, I mean, get some other prospects, from the other organization and ruin their career, I mean, get them in the big leagues because they don't know when to bring them up or send them down or make adjustments."

Ke'Bryan Hayes was selected by the Pirates in 2015 and the infielder made his MLB debut in 2020. He won the Gold Glove Award in 2023 after signing an eight-year, $70 million contract extension in 2022.

New York Yankees reportedly linked with Pirates infielder

The New York Yankees' need for a long-term player at third base is no secret with the AL East expected to move for a reliable third baseman at the trade deadline. The Yankees could be in on Ke'Bryan Hayes if they fail to land Eugenio Suarez from Arizona.

According to Noah Hiles, the Yankees will face competition from the Chicago Cubs for Hayes, who has a 50/50 chance of getting traded before the deadline.

Despite a below-par season at the plate, slashing .238/.284/.293 for an OPS of .577, with two home runs and 31 RBIs, Hayes could be in for a big move later this month.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash