Brian Reynolds asks for a trade from the Pirates

2:11 PM: John Heyman from the New York Post Reports are that the Pirates have offered Reynolds an extension that would make him the highest-paid pirate in history by gross dollar figure, beating out the $70 million extension held by teammate Ke’Bryan Hayes. Of course, Hayes got his extension with less than two years of service time while Reynolds had nearly four years, so no extension would ever come close to Hayes’ number.

12:09 pm: pirate player Brian Reynolds Trade request may, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Hey man He adds that extension talks between Reynolds and the Pirates had reached a “dead end”, prompting Reynolds to request a trade. He says the pirates still don’t intend to trade him. The Bucs have since issued a statement regarding the trade request:

“While disappointing, this will have no impact on our decision-making in the off-season or in the future. Our goal is to improve the Pirates for 2023 and beyond. With three years to go until free agency, Brian remains a key member of the Our team. We look forward to it having a great season for the Buccaneers.”

Reynolds has always been a sought-after trade candidate throughout the game. He’s a manageable young player who performs at an elite level, while the Buccaneers have been in the depths of a long rebuild. Pittsburgh dismissed the business interests though, preferring instead to keep Reynolds at his place while they looked to return to competition while he was under the control of the club.

Reynolds is set to earn $6.75 million this season in the second year of a two-year, $13 million arbitration extension. It will then be under the club’s control for two more seasons via arbitration before becoming eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.

The 27-year-old saw a slight decrease in offensive production in 2022, but he still had a very strong season, slashing .262/.345/.461 with 27 home runs, with a value of 2.9 bWAR. It was the highest home run total in his four seasons in the Major Leagues, but it also came with an increase in hits.

Second round by the Giants in 2016, Reynolds went to the Pirates in 2018 Andrew McCutcheon Deal. He debuted a season later, slapping .314/.377/.503 with 16 home runs in 134 games. Another year, that would have been enough to earn Rookie of the Year honors, but existence Alonso HouseAnd the Mike Soroka And the Fernando Tatis Jr Means he finished fourth in the National League.

He had a slump his sophomore year, hitting just . 189/. 275/. 357 in 55 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but rebounded with his best season yet in 2021. That year he hit . 302/ 390 / .522 with . 24 home runs, earned his first All Star Game nod and finished 11th in NL MVP voting. He also recorded career-best strikeouts (18.4%) and walk rates (11.6%) that year.

On the defensive side, Reynolds spent most of his time in left field or center. He spent the better part of 2021-22 at center, hitting a total of 2,196 2/3 runs to mixed reviews. Average Outs Above put him at ten in ’21 but -7 in ’22, while Defensive Runs Saved tied him with -5 in ’21 and -14 this season. However, he scores better left, earning a total of 7 DRS across 931 2/3 innings between 2019-20.

While offensive production is down in 2022, the overall package of work combined with the remaining years of club control means there will be no shortage of suitors. MLBTR cast Reynolds as a trade candidate (a moniker he appears to have held for about three years) just a week earlier. John Morosi of the MLB Network Reports indicate that the Blue Jays have interest in Reynolds, while a number of teams, including the Mariners, Yankees, and Marlins, have previously expressed interest.

From a pirate’s point of view, it’s not particularly surprising to hear them say they plan to take it back in 2023. They’re unlikely to weaken their negotiating position further by stating publicly that they’re trading it. The asking price has always been very high (The Seattle Times reported the asking price on Deadline ’21 I started with Julio Rodriguez), and they will definitely be looking for a large number of young players again.

There has always been a bit of debate as to whether or not the Pirates should trade Reynolds. As a low-spending club, they weren’t likely to remain out of club control, but the Bucs’ rebuilding squad is starting to show signs of life, and it’s not inconceivable that they will be in a position to compete in the NL Central by 2024-25. Whether they trade him or not, the news has certainly added an extra layer as agents and front office staff descend on San Diego to start the Winter Meetings tomorrow.

Photo: USA Today Sports.