When the Cincinnati Reds acquired Ke'Bryan Hayes from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the July 31 trade deadline, the fanbase was somewhat skeptical — and rightfully so. After all, the Reds needed to bolster their lineup, and adding a player with a .596 OPS wasn't going to help in that regard one bit.
Since his arrival in Cincinnati, however, Hayes has posted a respectable .694 OPS and his defense has been otherworldly. Though many within the Reds fanbase were critical of the Hayes' acquisition at the time, it's possible that president of baseball operations Nick Krall may have given this team exactly what they needed.