When the Cincinnati Reds pulled the trigger on a deal for Ke’Bryan Hayes, the consensus reaction was simple. They were getting an elite glove at third base, nothing more. Hayes had built his reputation as one of the slickest defenders in the game, but his bat has been a different story. In fact, most Reds fans (and probably the front office, too) had already written off the idea of him being anything more than a defensive specialist.
And who could blame them? Coming off a miserable 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in which he slashed .