ST. LOUIS — A year ago in snowy Chicago, Ke’Bryan Hayes got the Pirates’ season started with a thunder clap, clobbering a first-inning home run at Wrigley Field. This year in St. Louis, their slick-fielding third baseman really brought the boom.
Without sharing much with his teammates, careful not to brag or show off, Hayes rocked the Pirates’ world by agreeing to an eight-year, $70 million contract extension that qualifies as the largest contract in franchise history.
Hayes, per his usual, agreed to discuss the contract then sped off to the field for pregame work. Opening day against the Cardinals was predictably more important.
“I still have a job to do [Thursday], so that’s my Number 1 priority,” Hayes said. “I’m just thankful for this opportunity, for them believing in me for a long-term deal. I’m very committed, as I’m sure they’re committed for this partnership. I’m excited to get back to work this year.”
The deal includes a team option for 2030 and starts this season, a source confirmed.
The scene inside the Pirates clubhouse as Hayes entered was incredible. Players were hooting and hollering, trying to embarrass their friend. A few asked for loans. After Hayes finished talking, he was asked how many beers he’s expected to buy Thursday in St. Louis with an off-day looming Friday.
“Probably a lot,” Hayes said.
Signing Hayes to an extension was something the Pirates tried to do after 2020, when the 25-year-old burst onto the scene with a scintillating September. In 24 games, Hayes hit .376 with a 1.124 OPS and instantly thrust himself into the National League Rookie of the Year discussion for the following season.
That, of course, never happened, as Hayes hurt his left hand/wrist during the second game of the season and played through pain during much of his sophomore season. The inability to properly swing knocked Hayes’ batting average down to .257, his OPS to .689.
More than that, Hayes struggled to both pull the ball and get as much lift on it as he did that previous September.
But starting in spring training, Hayes was resolute that those injury issues were behind him. He tweaked his follow through to limit some bat whip that he thinks either caused or exacerbated the injury. He adjusted his stance to better combat inside pitches.
“The way I was moving last year didn’t allow me to hit the ball on the pull side,” Hayes said. “I’ve been able to get to where I can limit some movements, pick up the ball quicker and cover more zone.”
Hayes will have plenty of time to play with his swing and showcase his sparkling defense with this new pact, one that seemingly sets a stake in the ground for the Pirates.
It’s clear that Hayes has been established as a building block of the future. The natural fan wonderment will now shift to whether they do the same with Bryan Reynolds.
Signing Hayes to this sort of deal already inspired some confidence among his teammates that maybe it’s only the start of something bigger.
“We have a lot of young guys coming up,” Chris Stratton said. “I love that they’re committing to it.”
“It kind of means that we’re building around him and going for it that way,” Mitch Keller said. “It’s great for everybody.”
“Stoked,” Ben Gamel added. “Stoked to have that guy around for a while. I think Pittsburgh should be really happy with that. Happy for Key.”
Nobody’s happier than Hayes, who remains about as low-key as stars get, a character trait that should mesh well in Pittsburgh. His idea of adventure is riding his bike through the Strip District. Hayes is unfailingly polite and welcoming but isn’t the center-of-attention type.
As teammates chided him and tried to single him out, Hayes was visibly uncomfortable with the attention.
He better get comfortable.
With what the Pirates did Thursday, it’s clear how they feel about Hayes and his place in the ongoing rebuild, that they expect him to perform here for a long time and plan on building this thing around him.
“If we can keep a lot of these guys here because we’ve been playing the last couple of years together, yeah, that would be awesome,” Hayes said.
So far, so good. No longer is Jason Kendall’s six-year, $60 million deal (signed Nov. 18, 2000) the largest deal in franchise history. That honor now belongs to Hayes, a 2015 first-round draft pick, the son of a major leaguer (father Charlie) and now an official franchise building block and really rich man.
“From the day I got drafted, that was always one of my main goals — to debut with the team that drafted me and play my whole career there,” Hayes said. “Fans have shown me love. I’ve always had a good relationship with the players here. What a place to be able to stay and play out most of my career. I’m very excited for it. I’m very thankful and humbled for this opportunity and ready to get going.”
Hayes said he “didn’t have much” on the opening day parallel, still somewhat flustered by the extra attention. Hayes was also itching to go stretch and hit, focused more on beating the Cardinals than putting into context what this move means for the Pirates going forward.
And that, really, should tell you a lot. The job Hayes signed up for hasn’t been easy and still won’t smooth out for a little while. But on the back end, if he can help the Pirates ultimately reverse their fortunes, plenty more cheers will follow.
“It shows how much they believe in me,” Hayes said. “With the little time that I have in the big leagues, it’s a huge confidence boost, them showing they want me to be a guy who’s here for a long time and helps lead the way. It’s very humbling.”
