The Reds are headed into another winter with more questions than answers, and this time the spotlight is squarely on Ke’Bryan Hayes.
After missing out on a postseason berth, Cincinnati’s front office met with the media earlier this week, and President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall made it clear the club is still backing the trade that brought in the underperforming third baseman. His comments on Hayes drew the most attention.
“He was a three-win player three years ago,” Krall said. "Last year, he was a two-win player. If he can get to where he was last year and get on base a bit, that’s a productive player."
Krall didn’t stop there. He also said Hayes’ deal is justified even if the results stay modest.
"Take this year out of it. If he’s a 1.5 win player, he’s well worth that contract. If he can be a bench guy who can be a quality defender, he’s well worth the contract."
That kind of framing suggests the Reds are now looking at Hayes less as a middle-of-the-order answer and more as a versatile bench piece who can defend. That’s a striking place to land for a player who had the fourth-largest contract on the team in 2026 and will make $7 million in 2027.
Hayes has a career OPS of .652, and the production hasn’t matched the salary or the role the Reds seem to be assigning him. Still, the organization is not showing any interest in calling the trade a mistake. Instead, the plan appears to be keeping Hayes in the mix next season and hoping the bat becomes less of a drag.
For a fan base that has heard this kind of message before, it’s hard not to feel like the same script is being run again. The Reds may be talking about the future, but their words on Hayes suggest a familiar kind of patience - one that doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence.
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