Reds' $70 million trade mistake is why third base is their 'biggest roster hole'

The Cincinnati Reds missed the playoffs this season, but they did see the continued breakout of both Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart.

It was an encouraging year for two of the Reds' starting infielders, but the same cannot be said for another one of the Reds' infielders. Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, acquired in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, was a major letdown.

His struggles have led Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report to highlight third base as the Reds' "biggest offseason hole" to fill. Unfortunately, with how poorly Hayes has played, Cincinnati is in dire need of a new player to start full-time at the hot corner.

"Biggest Roster Hole: Hot Corner," Miller writes. "... Third base might be the biggest conundrum of all, though. Ke'Bryan Hayes is still owed a total of $29M over the next four seasons, but he just had one of the worst offensive seasons in MLB history and was nowhere near as great defensively as he has been in the past."

Hayes was a two-time Gold Glove third baseman with the Pirates before the Reds acquired him in the middle of the 2025 season.

In 146 games with the Reds, Hayes has been worth -0.4 bWAR, with his 2026 season being one of the worst of any player in recent history.

In just 94 games played, Hayes posted -0.7 bWAR with a .141 batting average and a .419 OPS with a 17 OPS+. Those are some horrific offensive numbers.

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Any team would be looking to find a replacement for such a player. Unfortunately for the Reds, they still owe him nearly $30 million over the next few seasons.

While the Reds could try to trade him, it'd likely cost them a lot to move on from the struggling third baseman in a deal, as they'd have to take on a healthy chunk of his contract just to get a team remotely interested in a trade.

Hayes' poor offensive production is a glaring issue for Cincinnati and makes their third base need incredibly obvious. But it goes well beyond simply needing third base help.

The Reds have a $29 million problem on their hands with Hayes, and there's no good solution. The trade was clearly a mistake, and it's backed the Reds into a corner of needing to find his replacement, while having no good way of moving on from Hayes.