The Pirates have made an extension offer to young third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, to no avail. This is not the first time that the Pirates have explored an extension with Hayes, but this time, they are “making a serious effort,” per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter).
MLBTR’s Steve Adams took a look at the potential of a Hayes extension back in August. There aren’t a lot of great recent comps for a Hayes extension. That said, the Pirates should have what it takes financially to make Hayes the first cornerstone of this current iteration of Pirates baseball. They have zero guaranteed contracts on the books for next season and beyond.
To this point, however, the Pirates have not shown signs of turning the corner into a competitive structure. An extension for Hayes would represent that sort of step. As of now, Hayes will not be arbitration eligible until after the 2023 season, and he won’t head to free agency until after 2026.