Reynolds makes request for trade
Pirates unlikely to make any moves; outfielder under control through ’25
Bryan Reynolds’ standing with the Pirates took an odd and expected turn on Saturday afternoon, as sources confirmed to the Post-Gazette that the outfielder has requested a trade.
The sticking point, of course, remains what happens now.
The Pirates can obviously acquiesce to the demand and trade Reynolds, who remains under contractual control through 2025. They can also decide to keep him and proceed with the offseason as normal. At this point, per a Pirates statement issued by a team spokesman shortly after the story broke, it’s the latter more than the former.
Describing the news as “disappointing,” the Pirates said Reynolds’ request will have “zero impact on our decision making in this offseason or in thefuture.”
“Our goal is to improve the Pirates for 2023 and beyond,” thes tatement continued. “With three years until he hits free agency, Bryan remains a key member of our team. We look forward to him having a great season for the Pirates.”
With MLB’s Winter Meetings starting this week in San Diego, Reynolds’ status — both with the Pirates and on the trade market — will become a major issue. Not only is the market for center fielders thin, but Reynolds has long had the attention of outfielder-starved clubs.
The Pirates thus far have batted aside continual interest in Reynolds, who signed a twoyear, $13.5 million contract to avoid arbitration this offseason. But could this fresh bit of information change potential offers and their feelings? We’ll findout.
It does create an odd situation around the Pirates’ best player and someone many fans want to be the cornerstone of the franchise, an All-Star in 2021 who hit .262 with an .807
OPS in 145 games this season, slugging a career-high 27home runs.
At this point, it is not known why Reynolds requested a trade. The sides have discussed long-term extensions before, including one recently, although there was never much traction gained.
The sides have discussed long-term extensions before, including one recently, and sources on Saturday confirmed the total value of the latest offer would’ve ranked as the largest in franchise history.
Ke’Bryan Hayes owns that mark after signing an eight-year, $70 million extension at the start of the 2022 season.
While the two camps clearly had differing views on Reynolds’ value or the length of a potential length of contract, it’s also not a nothing offer and shows desire on the Pirates’ part to keep Reynolds in Pittsburgh.
Neither side has really ever had much optimism that a long-term pact would work out, but the Pirates, through their actions, have also been resolute on wanting to retain Reynolds in Pittsburgh for as long as possible.
The Pirates acquired Reynolds via trade with the San Francisco Giants for former face of the franchise Andrew McCutchen on Jan. 15, 2018. After spending 2018 with Double-A Altoona, the Vanderbilt University product made his MLB debut (quietly) alongside Cole Tucker on April 20, 2019, having played just 13 games with Triple-A Indianapolis.
As a rookie in 2019, Reynolds hit .314 with an .880 OPS across 134 games, with 37 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs and 68 RBIs, finishing fourth in NL Rookie ofthe Year voting.
Although Reynolds’ offensive numbers took a slight hit in 2022, he had a career year in 2021, batting .302 with 35 doubles, eight triples, 24 home runs and 90 RBIs. He also had a .912 OPS, slugged .522 and started in center field for the National
League in the MLB All-Star Game.
As a defender, Reynolds finished as a Gold Glove finalist in center. His defense took a minor step back in 2022, and the Pirates experimented with using him in left field late in the season, with Ji-Hwan Bae in center.
Reynolds, for his side of this, has long professed a desire to stay in Pittsburgh.
In August, Reynolds joked that he told the Pirates not to trade him at the deadline. He said he was promised that they would not — a position from which the club has seemingly not moved.
“I want to stay here,” Reynolds told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I haven’t hidden it, so hopefully that’s the plan.”
The Pirates, theoretically, don’t have to do anything. Reynolds remains under team control through the 2025 season, and they could certainly just ride this out, hedging their bets that he’ll play through the trade request.
Opposing teams could also see the situation and up their offers to the Pirates, changing how they feel about the deal. If Reynolds would go somewhere else, there’s likely a far greater chance he and the team might find common ground ona long-term extension.
For now, however, it’s a strange situation involving one of the Pirates’ most important players, one that figures to become a dominant storyline at the Winter Meetings.