Yankees Could Turn to Pirates $70 Million Star After Oswaldo Cabrera Injury
The New York Yankees are back to the drawing board with their baseman after Oswaldo Cabrera’s recent injury. Cabrera suffered an ankle injury on Monday, and the infielder quickly underwent surgery to repair it. However, the Yankees have a major gap at the hot corner with very little options to improve the team internally. One option to consider from the outside is Ke’Bryan Hayes from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hayes hasn’t been the best hitter over the course of his career to this point, but so far this season he’s hitting .260 with a home run and 14 RBI. His 78 OPS+ is under the league average, but he’s one of the best in the league defensively at third base. Any manager or front office executive will tell you saving a run is just as valuable as scoring one yourself. Hayes may not provide the most offensively, but he will be a Gold Glove finalist nine times out of every 10 seasons.
Hayes is obviously very familiar with the Yankees as a result of his dad, Charlie Hayes, spending part of his playing career in the Bronx. The Yankees certainly have him on their radar as evidenced by a comment broadcaster Michael Kay mentioned on his podcast in January. “Ke’Bryan Hayes is a defensive magician at third base,” said Kay. “His hitting is not what it should be, but he’s obviously not happy in Pittsburgh. I talked to Charlie when the Yankees were in Pittsburgh a couple of years ago, and he was like scratching his head about some of the things they do in Pittsburgh with the hitters. Whatever the case may be…if I’m the Yankees, I’m calling the Pirates and go, ‘What do you want?'” Given the Pirates lack of success and no imminent plans to turn things around, trading Hayes makes a lot of sense for Pittsburgh. The Yankees would also benefit by locking down their long-term third baseman at a very affordable price — an average of $8.75 million per year through the 2029 season with a club option set for 2030. More MLB: MLB Insider Be
