With Ke’Bryan Hayes signed through potentially the 2030 season, the Pirates have a potential cornerstone for their next competitive team in place for the decade.
He can’t be the only one, something that Bob Nutting told me point blank Tuesday: “We need more talented players” like Hayes.
Hayes sounds confident in what the Pirates are building. So confident that he was willing to sign away the prime of his career to the organization.
And he’s also confident that he isn’t going to be the only player the Pirates sign to a big-money contract. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have signed, his agent, Scott Lonergan, told me.
“In the overall scheme of things, somebody needed to go first,” Lonergan said. “By securing Ke’Bryan, the Pirates have a better ability level to recruit free agents, sign these kids to extensions because now they’re starting to trust the direction of the organization and the core that they’re building around. So it was important for us to understand what the future vision was. That this wasn’t just an asset to have on the books for a future trade.”
MORE PIRATES
2. I’ll re-emphasize the trade aspect at the end, especially since that was the fate of Jason Kendall, the previous Pirates contract record holder who was traded with most of the money on that deal remaining.
Lonergan had conversations with Nutting, Ben Cherington and Travis Williams about how even if this vision for the franchise doesn’t pan out, Hayes wants to stay in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have never given a no-trade clause (and there is no precedent for one being given in an extension to a pre-arbitration eligible player, either), but it’s not going to be discussed for years to come.
Hayes would qualify for 10-and-5 rights in the second half of 2030, which does include a league-mandated no-trade clause, if that comes up towards the end of this deal. -- Stumpf
3. How did this contract come together?
Would you believe a hike?
The Pirates' director of baseball operations and pro scouting, Will Lawton, was in Arizona for staff meetings, and Lonergan was there to spend time with clients. Lawton sent Lonergan a text asking if he was in town. The two met at Mastro’s City Hall in Scottsdale and closed the place down, but were kicked out before they had finished talking. Both were busy the rest of the week, so the only time they could carve out to keep talking was hiking Camelback mountain as the sun was coming up.
“Along the way and at the top of the hill, we figured out some different concepts that would be interesting,” Lonergan said. Two days later, Lawton sent an e-mail with an offer. Hayes was interested, and obviously the rest of the deal came together in that final week. -- Stumpf
4. The two sides did have a bit of a running start for these negotiations, though, stemming back to fairly in-depth talks that started before Hayes had even played a big-league game in 2020. Those talks usually fell apart when it came to money, and while I cannot share a number, this $70 million deal was significantly more than the Pirates had approached Hayes with in the past. And given that it was two years of on-and-off talks leading up to it, Lonergan admitted he was a bit surprised that everything came together so quickly at the end. -- Stumpf
5. Hayes’ deal is unprecedented for a pre-arb player, receiving $10 million in 2022 and 2023, $7 million from 2024-2027 and $8 million in 2028 and 2029, followed by a $12 million club option or $6 million buyout at the end.
For Hayes, the appeal is he could quite possibly receive more this way for his remaining two pre-arb and three arbitration seasons ($41 million), at the cost of what is essentially a 3/$29 million or 4/$35 million contract at the end. Hayes and his agency ran models of what similar third basemen to him got in arbitration, and while he is very possibly a future Gold Glover, offensive production is what drives those hearings. Hayes has offensive upside, but to this point has never hit more than 10 homers in a season. Rather than go through arbitration, there was appeal of working out a payment structure that gives more money up front and could potentially more fairly compensate his defense. -- Stumpf
6. As for how he can tap into his offensive upside, Lonergan brought up that part of it is Hayes hitting fly balls to his pull side, something he struggled to do in 2021. An analyst pointed out to me in the past that his contact point is deeper in relation to the plate than some power hitters, which is why most of his fly balls and line drives go to the opposite field. Hayes hits the ball hard often, but if this was a focal point, it could help him produce more at the plate. -- Stumpf
7. Enough Hayes already!
The other guy got signed, too, right?
No, seriously, the Bryan Reynolds contract -- two years, $13.5 million, chopping off half of his four arbitration years -- was an adventure unto itself. And though I broke those developments to our readers as they were happening, with gratitude to Major League Baseball for restoring reporters' clubhouse access and our ability to do the job properly -- I'll shed more light here.
The main point is that the talks were conducted almost entirely between the team and CAA, Reynolds' representation, to the extreme that no numbers regarding a long-term extension were ever shared with him. And I'm not guessing at that. He wanted to stay out until he was absolutely needed.
That occurred Thursday after the win over the Cubs, when he met with Nutting in Derek Shelton's office -- and others -- and everything was hammered out in short order. I watched them walk in there myself. -- Dejan Kovacevic at PPG Paints Arena
8. Yes, both sides legit would love to get a long-term, Hayes-type contract done. But I'm told that the CAA perspective on the overall package differed significantly from the Pirates' -- like Alex above, I'm not able to share specifics -- and that was that.
For now.
Can't stress this enough: Reynolds really likes what the Pirates are doing. The players on the inside see the whole picture, and they're excellent at tuning out outside noise. Reynolds is like a walking, talking encyclopedia of every prospect in the system, and he loves the future. -- Kovacevic
9. So, who's next?
The correct answer to that is nobody. And I mean correct in all sense, as in there's no one else who's close to earning such status yet. I'm told that Hayes and Reynolds were the two targets for 2022 and, of course, Reynolds still has more business ahead, as well.
But beyond that, I'd look more at Oneil Cruz than anyone else. Roansy Contreras again looked like a dream come true Thursday night, but guaranteed money to flamethrowing starting pitchers coming off an elbow issue ... yeah, no. And David Bednar, outstanding as he's been, is a reliever, and no role's more fickle in this game. -- Kovacevic
10. One hasn't lived until one's witnessed Shelton stepping into the clubhouse, following that win Thursday, and using his finger to summon Daniel Vogelbach into the manager's office ... only to see Vogelbach return less than a minute later holding an ice-cold brew.
"I thought I was in trouble," the big man would say to no one in particular, before turning to Ben Gamel. "You're next."
Gamel burst in that direction.
See more at the very end of this file about reporters, access and all that. -- Kovacevic
STEELERS
10. So, the Steelers have brought in each of this year's top six quarterback prospects -- Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral, Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell and Carson Strong -- for one of their 30 in-person visits in Pittsburgh. They also attended all of their pro days, spoke to them all at the NFL Scouting Combine and the ones who were at the Senior Bowl, as well. Because of that, every mock draft that you see out there has the Steelers taking a quarterback in the draft. And often, it's just the next quarterback available if multiple players at the position have been taken ahead of their pick.
But I'm told that definitely won't be the case. The Steelers won't take a quarterback in the first round just to take a quarterback. They're fine with Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph atop the depth chart, and a rookie -- any rookie -- is going to be No. 3 on their depth chart, no matter who it is. -- Dale Lolley on the South Side
11. Obviously that quarterback depth chart took a hit last weekend with the untimely and tragic death of Dwayne Haskins. But that won't affect the Steelers' draft plans. They're going to go to training camp with four quarterbacks to be sure. But again, they're not going to reach to take one in the first round just to do so. If they take a quarterback in the first round of the draft, it will be because they see him as a potential long-term starter. -- Lolley
12. The Steelers are very cognizant of the fact that their players -- especially the ones who were in South Florida working out with Haskins -- are affected by the death of a teammate. Much as they did following the death of wide receivers coach Darryl Drake during training camp in 2019, the Steelers will make grief counselors available to their players when the team's first offseason workouts begin on Monday. -- Lolley
13. Ever wonder how many mock drafts could be so wrong?
Often it is because they are looking at outdated lists of team needs.
Nobody would have argued that interior offensive line was a need for the Steelers two months ago. But now, after signing both James Daniels and Mason Cole in free agency, is it still a pressing need? Not in my book. In fact, the Steelers seem to have four starting-caliber players for three starting spots on the interior of their line. And that doesn't include players such as J.C. Hassenauer and John Leglue, both of whom also have starting experience. And both Hassenauer and Leglue are very cheap.
But look at many of the draft sites out there and you'll see interior offensive line listed as a need, if not the top need, for the Steelers. Now, would the Steelers pass on a quality interior lineman if one were presented to them on Day 3? Probably not. But they're unlikely to take a player at that position in the first three rounds. -- Lolley
14. One of the biggest things many fans have failed to understand is why the Steelers didn't hire a new GM to go through this offseason and draft process with Kevin Colbert. The reason is simple. Colbert isn't going anywhere. He's still going to be around.
So the new GM will be able to bounce ideas and ask questions of Colbert throughout the 2022 season.
That's what is so rare about this process. Most GM hires are replacing someone who was fired. That's not the case in this situation.
It's very similar to what happened when Ozzie Newsome retired as GM of the Ravens. Baltimore elevated Eric DeCosta, Newsome's assistant GM, to replace him. But Newsome still had a role within the team. If DeCosta had a question, he could walk down the hall and ask or pick up the phone and give Newsome a call. The Steelers' new GM will have the same ability with Colbert. -- Lolley
15. The NFL's official website ranked the current general managers in the league this week and Colbert came in third among his peers. He's consistently been there throughout his career.
As we enter the final couple of weeks of Colbert's tenure, it's easy for some to see the failures. But in 22 years as the team's primary personnel man, Colbert has presided over exactly one losing season. The Steelers won two Super Bowls and went to another. They compiled a 226-124-3 record, second only to the Patriots in that period. It's been a remarkable run, one that should get Colbert consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
There are five men in the Hall of Fame who are there strictly because of their work as personnel people -- Bill Nunn, Jim Finks, Bill Polian, Ron Wolf and George Young. Colbert's resume stands tall with any of them. -- Lolley
16. Two positions to keep an eye on for those hoping the Steelers trade back in the upcoming draft are wide receiver and cornerback. If there is a run on wide receivers or corners early, it could cause some of the teams picking behind the Steelers to want to make a move to trade up.
The Chiefs have two first-round picks and two selection in the second round. They need an impact wide receiver in a bad way. Same thing goes for the Packers, despite their signing of Sammy Watkins on Thursday to a one-year deal.
The Patriots, Bills, Titans, Bengals and Chiefs also all could use a cornerback.
If four wide receivers or corners go before the Steelers pick, it could be tempting for the team to move down and collect an additional Day 2 pick and potentially something in 2023, as well. Especially if quarterback Malik Willis is gone, as expected. -- Lolley
PENGUINS
17. There's not much question that Bryan Rust, who can be an unrestricted free agent this summer, has set himself up for an enormous payday with the excellent season he has put together. Whether that money comes from the Penguins or another club remains to be seen, but one Eastern Conference executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, offered an interesting take on Rust's future a few days ago: He is convinced that Rust, who grew up in Troy, Mich., will receive a lucrative offer from the Red Wings. "They're going to load up for him," the executive said. "Make a big run." -- Dave Molinari
18. Some Penguins officials were not pleased a few days ago, when word of the team's planned participation in the 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston went public. The source of the leak, which went to NHL Network's Kevin Weekes, is not known, and probably never will be, because that's not the sort of thing for which an individual likely will claim responsibility. Although it wasn't immediately clear why the Penguins were upset about the leak, it shouldn't be a surprise that word got out before any official announcement, since people from both clubs, the league office and possibly a TV network or two would have had access to the information. -- Molinari
19. Give Penguins director of player personnel Chris Pryor a primary assist on the signing of undrafted defense prospect Colin Swoyer to an entry-level contract. Pryor and Swoyer had an existing relationship going back to Swoyer's time in the USHL. Pryor kept in contact with Swoyer during Swoyer's time at Michigan Tech and would make trips to see him play in person, and was instrumental in bringing him into the Penguins' system. -- Taylor Haase at PPG Paints Arena
20. The influence of Jerry York, who recently retired after spending 28 seasons as head coach of the Boston College men's hockey team, can be seen everywhere in pro hockey. Within the Penguins' organization, York coached current Penguin Brian Boyle, Brian Dumoulin and Mike Matheson, skills coach Ty Hennes, and Wilkes-Barre head coach J.D. Forrest, in addition to a number of former Penguins players. I spoke with Forrest recently about York's influence.
"I don't think that you can say enough about him as a coach and as a person, as a human being as an ambassador for the sport of hockey at Boston College," Forrest said. "His record, a Hall of Fame career speaks for itself as far as hockey goes, but most of the guys that I know that have been involved with Boston College hockey, they've got another side of him, a personal side of him that's affected everyone's life in different ways and continues to, even though I've been out of there since 2004. He changed the course of a lot of guys' lives, bringing them to BC and teaching them not only on-ice stuff, but everything that he does away, and how he brings that energy and just positive attitude all the time to the rink every day no matter what. He was a special coach to be around, I'm really grateful I got the opportunity to play for him for four years at Boston College." -- Haase
21. Only one North American sports league's still keeping reporters out of locker rooms, and it doesn't take much to figure out which, huh?
Jake Guentzel had a four-point night Thursday against the Islanders, and he wasn't made available as one of the two or three players still being ushered to a press conference area. And yeah, that probably wouldn't have resulted in much headline fare, but all of this is about to become a big deal, if only because the playoffs aren't the ideal setting in which to hide players who perform poorly. And the only players ever brought to this room are the ones who do well, including after losses.
Picture, for a moment, nothing but the most sterilized, corporate, non-critical team-employee coverage of a tough loss after which tough questions need to be answered.
Theres no longer any excuse for this. The NFL's promised to have rooms open upon returning, and Major League Baseball's currently wide open. We wear masks inside the clubhouse, but otherwise nothing's different. And that's why, I dare say, our coverage of the Pirates over the past couple of weeks has been some of the most compelling, most original material we've offered at this site in two years. Speaking for myself, I never would've been able to break all the Nutting/Reynolds stuff this month without it.
Do the NHL and Penguins really want to leave reporters with the option to go elsewhere to do their jobs right for the benefits of their readers, viewers and/or listeners?
Strikes me as short-sighted and stupid, though not necessarily in that order.
Or, precisely what one would expect from Gary Bettman. -- Kovacevic
