The Pittsburgh Pirates finished the 2026 season with a record of 82-80. The end result did not end up being what the organization ultimately desired, however. The goal was always to get into the postseason and make a deep run in October. It was the first-ever year above .500 in the Ben Cherington era. He took over the front office in 2019, but he has not delivered what fans envisioned when the Pirates hired him. That doesn't mean, however, that he hasn't had some significant wins during his tenure.
Pittsburgh has often been sellers at the trade deadline due to a lack of relevance once July arrives. In these kinds of situations, the goal is always to dump off talent that may not be part of the future. In return, teams prefer to acquire young talent with loads of potential. Cherington did something in 2025 that is already looking like a home run based on recent events.
Ke'Bryan Hayes was a first-round selection of the Pirates back in 2015. He arrived in the big leagues in 2020, flashing a significant glove at third base. Unfortunately, he was very up and down on the offensive side. In April of 2022, he had done enough to earn a sizable eight-year, $70 million contract from the Pirates.
It really wasn't working out for Hayes in Pittsburgh as time went on. This led to him getting dealt to the Cincinnati Reds in 2025. The main piece of the deal coming back to the Steel City was middle infielder Sammy Stafura.
Fast forward to September of 2026, and Hayes is being called out for quite literally having one of the worst offensive seasons in baseball history. Bryce Spalding brought this up with a post on X .
"There has been 21,533 players since 1940 who have recorded 240 PA in a single season," Spalding wrote. "Ke'Bryan Hayes ranks 21,531/21,533 in wRC+ with his 13 wRC+ mark in 2026. His .419 OPS ranks 21,530/21,533. Quite literally a bottom 3 offensive season, EVER."
The wRC+ stat is an advanced hitting metric that essentially summarizes offensive production. Additionally, the Pirates later included Stafura in the deal to acquire Luke Weaver near the trade deadline. The reliever is under contract for 2027, so it seems to have worked out for the Pirates.
It hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows for the Pirates since Cherington took over. However, this is one of those moves that deserves to be lauded. Pittsburgh was able to shed Hayes' salary while also giving away someone who has no clue what he is doing at the plate.
The Buccos did not necessarily get a long-term prospect in the deal who is still around, but they were able to ditch Hayes. In addition, Weaver could very well be the closer for the franchise in 2027 — if baseball ends up being played.
Cherington catches a lot of heat , and he warrants most of it. The Pirates hired him to make a difference and bring winning baseball back to Pittsburgh. He hasn't accomplished that just yet; however, one of his best moves in recent memory made Hayes the Reds' problem.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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