The Alamo Short Stacks long pursuit of third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (3R/$5) ended Tuesday as the club announced a deal with the Spokane Fightin' Fish. Hayes will head to the Stacks for right-hander Brayan Bello (2FA/$5), infielders Jeff McNeil (3/$7) and Gavin Lux (2D/$5) as well as 6th, 7th and 8th Round Picks (80/95/110 Overall).
Hayes had a rollercoaster season in 2023, but finished on a tear that the Stacks are banking on turning into a breakout season in 2024. Hayes took forever to get things going hitting .221 with just 2 homers through the end of May before waking up to hit .337 with 3 homers in June alone. An early back injury in July shelved him until mid-August and he returned with aplomb hitting .299 with 10 homers the rest of the way. His 15 homers in 2023 were just three fewer than he hit from 2020-2022. He made positive gains in elevating the ball more frequently while not sacrificing his ability to make contact as he lowered his strikeout rate for a fourth consecutive season and has carried that over with an eye-opening Spring Training.
The Red Sox just inked Bello to a six-year contract extension with the right-hander in contention for the Opening Day nod in Boston. Bello was the team's best starter for much of last season before tiring in September, when a sub-4.00 ERA ballooned to 4.24. A strong sinker-slider combination allows Bello to leverage a high groundball rate into deep starts with his slider potentially unlocking a new level of production for 2024.
McNeil has quietly produced a pair of 400+ point seasons in the last four years and is fresh off a strong 341.0 effort in 2023. His .298 average ranks fourth among all active hitters, giving him a strong floor to pair with both second base and outfield eligiblity.
Lux rounds out the player return for the Fish while holding contractual control through 2025. A case of the yips has moved him from shortstop to second, but the bat continues to impress as he continues his return from a knee injury that cost him all of 2023. He retains second base, shortstop and outfield eligibility for 2024.