This recent Cubs' trade deadline rumor doesn't make sense - for multiple reasons

There's been more than a little smoke connecting the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates in trade rumors recently. While right-hander Mitch Keller is the most talked-about name that's seemingly been discussed in talks, former All-Star closer David Bednar and Gold Glove third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes have also been mentioned.

Keller represents a high-upside, cost-controlled arm with intriguing stuff. No argument here. Bednar makes sense. After all, if you're a team with postseason aspirations, having a lockdown bullpen is everything in today's game and, as good as Daniel Palencia has been in the ninth, insurance policies (as we already learned multiple times this year) are never a bad thing.

But Hayes is a square peg for a round hole.

After whiffing on Alex Bregman late in the offseason, the Cubs entered the year begging for top prospect Matt Shaw to seize the third base job and run with it. That hasn't happened. After a rocky first stint in the bigs, he was sent back to Iowa to figure some things out. Then, the team brought him back and the results haven't even been league average, offensively, speaking, with Shaw slashing .246/.303/.352 entering Sunday.

He's turned some heads at third defensively and has been leaps and bounds better there than any of the other guys we've seen at the hot corner for the Cubs in 2025. But the bat hasn't played - so it makes sense that Jed Hoyer might look for some infield depth capable of playing third. But Hayes isn't going to be any better offensively; he's a glove-first guy, and there's nothing wrong with that.

But it's not what this Cubs team needs right now.

Cubs need to shore up the offensive depth on the roster - it's that simple

Given the complete lack of production from Shaw and bench options like Vidal Brujan, Justin Turner, Jon Berti (not to mention guys the Cubs have already moved on from like Nicky Lopez and Gage Workman), this team needs to add someone who can handle the bat - and Hayes hasn't done that in several years.

Since the start of the 2024 campaign, the former top prospect carries a 62 OPS+ through nearly 700 trips to the plate. Prior to that, he was largely a below-average offensive player, but was at least closer to league average, which allowed him to average rack up 8.4 bWAR from 2022 to 2023. For whatever reason, though, he's cratered at the plate - and the last thing the Cubs need is to add his contract, regardless of how team-friendly it is, to the books at this point.

Hayes is playing on an eight-year, $70 million extension that runs through the 2029 season with a team option for 2030. He's earning $7 million annually through 2027 and gets a bump to $8 million for the '28 and '29 seasons. The $12 million team option carries a $6 million buyout. Even at such palatable sums, if he can't improve offensively, it's not a savvy long-term investment.

If you want a guy who can handle third defensively but projects to have some uncertainty with the bat, then there's no reason to not let Shaw work through his growing pains. His upside is higher, for sure, and he's playing on a rookie contract that pales in comparison even to Hayes' deal. I'm not against adding reinforcements at third, but this isn't the guy to pursue.