The Detroit Tigers are continuing to make calls in advance of Thursday’s MLB trade deadline. The Tigers are looking for a right-handed bat and some pitching help for the postseason stretch and they already gained some reinforcements when they acquired Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak from the Minnesota Twins on Monday afternoon.
But the longer Detroit waits, the more likely some targets will come off the board. One of those targets was officially moved on Wednesday and it deprived the Tigers of the chance to add a controllable former Gold Glove winner for their push to the postseason.
BREAKING: The Cincinnati Reds are acquiring third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources tell ESPN. Hayes is among the best defensive players in baseball and has five years of club control beyond this season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2025
Reds Snipe Ke’Bryan from From Tigers at MLB Trade Deadline
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Pittsburgh Pirates have traded third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates will receive shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura and reliever Taylor Rogers as part of the deal, which takes one Detroit’s targets off the board as Thursday’s deadline approaches.
The Tigers have had an issue at third base this season. Jace Jung hasn’t quite been ready for the big leagues and utilityman Zach McKinstry has filled in well, earning an All-Star appearance by hitting .268/.349/.449 with nine homers, 36 RBI and 16 stolen bases on 19 attempts. But while McKinstry has been solid offensively, his defense has needed improvement, logging a minus-5 in defensive runs saved and a minus-2 in Baseball Savant’s fielding run value metric.
Hayes would have been an upgrade in the field. A former-first round pick by the Pirates, Hayes won a Gold Glove during the 2023 season and logged 16 defensive runs saved and a plus-11 in fielding run value this season. With four more seasons of team control and another with a $12 million option in 2030, the minimal cost seemed like a worthwhile investment – until you looked at his offensive stats.
The 28-year-old has struggled at the plate with a .676 OPS during his career. While he showed signs of life in 2022 by hitting .271/.309/.453 with 15 homers, 61 RBI and 10 stolen bases on 16 attempts, he’s reverted to hit .234/.281/.290 with six homers, 61 RBI and 21 steals on 25 attempts over the past two seasons.
While Dominican baseball reporter Francys Romero listed the Tigers as “a potential suitor” along with the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, adding Hayes wouldn’t have been worth the risk. Detroit also would have had a log jam as Jung is still 25 years old, is a former first-round pick and has a track record of offensive production at a potentially cheaper price when he returns.
Add it all together and the Tigers may have been wise to sit this one out. But it’s another option they won’t be able to add for the playoff push.