MILWAUKEE -- The Pirates ended up making just one move during the trade deadline Monday, but it was at least one that everybody wanted.
Ke'Bryan Hayes is finally getting his call to the majors.
Multiple sources told DK Pittsburgh Sports Thursday that Hayes, one of the club's top prospects, will join the Pirates at PNC Park Tuesday, after they complete their road trip Monday night in Milwaukee against the Brewers.
Hayes, 23, is currently ranked as the 59th best prospect by Baseball America and the 45th best by MLB Pipeline. Both outlets have him ranked as the second best player in the Pirates' farm system, just a few spots behind 2020 first-round draft pick Nick Gonzales.
Hayes himself was a first-round pick by the Pirates in 2015, and has been rated as one of the best fielding prospects since.
He was originally invited to the Pirates' summer camp, but was sidelined for almost its entirety with COVID-19. He has been at the team's alternate training site in Altoona, Pa..
Hayes has worked hard to bill himself as a highly touted prospect, but has only had ok minor league batting numbers. Last season, he slashed .265/.336/.415 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs in 110 games at class AAA Indianapolis. He would strike the ball hard, but it would stay on the ground too often.
During spring training in Florida, he and hitting coach Rick Eckstein seemed to close in on some points that could help him get the ball in the air more consistently.
As previously mentioned, Hayes is better known for what he can do in the field, earning three MiLB Gold Glove awards during his five seasons in the Pirates system.
Hayes has been named to three mid-season All-Star teams during his minor league career. He was also a participant in the 2018 SiriusXM All-Star futures game where he launched a 405-foot homer into the left field seats at Nationals Park:
That was an unexpected move Monday. The expected ones for the trade deadline ended up not happening.
General manager Ben Cherington ended up standing pat as the deadline passed, with his only deal this weekend being the Jarrod Dyson for international spending room money swap he made with the White Sox Friday morning.
While most of the team is under team control going forward, it was surprising that the Pirates held onto Derek Holland and Keone Kela, who are set to become free agents at the end of the season.
"We'd rather hold than make trades that come back later to bite us," Cherington said.
So what exactly are the Pirates doing now? Rebuilding? Hoping to make a run in 2021?
"I've used the word, 'build,' " Cherington said. "I'll continue to use it. It's actually the word I believe is accurate, because that's what we're working to do."
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