“I’m excited for a new chapter,” Hayes said. “That’s why we play this game, to play in the playoffs and ultimately win a World Series. If you’re not playing to win, why are you playing? It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind for me because I’ve been with one organization my whole career. Since I’ve been here, everyone has been very welcoming to me.”
Hayes is the best defensive third baseman in MLB, and a Reds’ organization that’s putting a lot of stock in team defense prioritized him on the trade market.
“Everyone loves the idea of getting a bat,” president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. “But if you can prevent the runs, you’re going to win games, too.”
Hayes is under contract through 2030, and the key to his Reds career is going to be how much he hits. Since the start of the 2024 season, Hayes has the worst OPS in MLB. But the Reds are optimistic that he can get back to the league-average level he was at in 2023.
“He hits the ball hard,” Krall said. “He has good swing decisions. The walks and the strikeouts are there. He doesn’t chase a lot. He doesn’t swing and miss a ton. He’s above average in both. He hits down on the ball a lot. Trying to use the opposite field. We’re going to try to lengthen his swing a little bit and get him to drive the ball like he was two years ago.”
Hayes’ Reds career started with conversations with the team’s hitting coaches. It’s difficult for hitters to make aggressive swing changes during a season, but Hayes is open minded to trying something different.
“I’ve already talked with the hitting guys a little bit,” Hayes said. “I think for me, because I was in one organization with the same coaches for quite some time, just being in a new ballpark, being in a new clubhouse and being around new eyes that are watching me, they’ve already said they’ve looked at some stuff for me that they have for me. I think more than anything, I always want to get better.”
Reds hitting coach Chris Valaika said that during a season working with a new player, you let that player “drive the ship.” While the Reds won’t change Hayes’ swing overnight, they do see some early areas for improvement.
“A lot of the ingredients are there,” Valaika said. “He has shown that throughout his career. He can impact the ball. There are some things… If we can minimize some of the ground balls, especially in our ball park the way it can play. He takes professional at-bats. He hits the ball hard. Right now, let him go play and let’s see what the game tells us.”
At the MLB trade deadline, the Reds also added starter Zack Littell and right-handed bat Miguel Andujar.
Littell will join the rotation, which will allow Nick Martinez to slide into the bullpen where he’ll fill a high-leverage role. Reliever prices were exorbitant on the trade market, and adding a starter to impact the bullpen was a creative strategy.
The Reds’ bench has been short on right-handed bats for a few years, and Andujar has been the second-best hitter in MLB vs. left-handed pitching over the last three seasons.
“I’ve said this from the get go,” Nick Krall said. “We’re trying to build from within. We need to build this core from within, but we want to put ourselves in a position where we can be buyers at the trade deadline. That’s where we are.”
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