The keys to the castle are in the hands of the Pirates’ new keymaster.
The Pirates and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes have agreed to an eight-year, $70 million contract extension with a club option for a ninth year of club control. FanSided insider Robert Murray first reported the deal and was shortly confirmed by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer Jason Mackey.
The deal breaks Pittsburgh’s previous franchise record for the largest amount of money ever allocated to a player, breaking Jason Kendell’s six-year, $60 million mark dating back to 2000.
Murray also reports the contract is the largest guarantee ever signed for a player with at least one and less than two years of service time.