The third baseman is being built around by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
According to multiple reports, the Pirates have come to terms on a new eight-year, $70 million deal with Hayes. According to The Associated Press, a formal announcement isn't expected until the team's home opener on April 12.
It is the largest contract in franchise history.
The third baseman was scheduled to hit in the opener.
The deal gives the team some stability as it continues to build under general manager Ben Cherington. The son of a former major leaguer reached the big leagues in 2020.
In 120 career games, he hit.280. When he arrived in September 2020, he won Freshman of the Month but struggled with a left wrist injury that limited him to 96 games in the next two years.
The fan base gets restless after three straight last-place finishes, and the contact gives them that. The Pirates are still in a transition period, with most of the prospects they have accumulated since Cherington took over still at least a year or two from arriving in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates are expected to finish at or near the bottom of the NL Central again with a largely unheralded and inexpensive roster. Cherington has said repeatedly that the team will start making investments when it believes it is close to winning, and the agreement with Hayes provides the first tangible evidence of a long-term plan at the big league level.
The contract will be in effect this season and will last through at least 2029, with an option for 2030.
The report was contributed to by the Associated Press.
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