Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Ke’Bryan Hayes. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
The Pirates just penned Ke’Bryan Hayes to the biggest contract extension in franchise history. Then he got injured. What does that mean for the deal?
The Pittsburgh Pirates have gone to the playoffs just three times this century and not since 2015.
After Thursday’s developments, they may just have to accept that they might be cursed.
It was supposed to be a day of celebration with the 2022 season opening and promising third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes agreeing to an eight-year, $70 million contract extension.
Hayes didn’t get to celebrate his new deal very long. Before the first inning was over he injured his wrist and had to be replaced by Diego Castillo.
Here’s the play when Hayes apparently injured himself.
Can the Pirates get out of Ke’Bryan Hayes’ contract extension?
According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, Hayes had not yet signed the extension on Thursday pending a physical.
So technically, Pittsburgh could have room to maneuver out of it.
But do they want to?
The degree of Hayes’ injury isn’t yet known, but it didn’t look initially like one that would be worthy of taking an eight-year deal and ripping it up.
The $70 million contract was the biggest in Pirates’ history, but it was also team-friendly. They didn’t break the bank to get it done. Undoing it over what could be a minor injury would be a huge overreaction.
Beyond that, it would look utterly terrible for Pittsburgh to do that to a player they were so willing to invest in just a few hours before. Undoubtedly, the MLBPA would have something to say about it too and the last thing the Pirates would want is to deal with an ugly lawsuit.
The injury isn’t a deal-breaker. It’s just yet another reason for Pirates fans to shake their heads and bemoan their lot in life. That’s sports for you.