The hot stove is starting to heat up here in late November.
The Pirates have already made a couple moves to shuffle around the squad for the 2023 season, those including trading for first-baseman Ji-Man Choi from the Rays, signing free agent first baseman Carlos Santana, and trading away long-time infielder Kevin Newman.
Bryan Reynolds has been at the center of Pirates trade talk for almost two seasons now. It was heavily speculated that Reynolds was set to go during the trade deadline of this past 2022 season.
The Bucs decided to hold on to Reynolds and some other key pieces, like David Bednar, saying they had no intention of trading them. That stance reportedly still holds true according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Despite this Reynolds has requested a trade away from the team after extension talks between the two parties have reached an “impasse”.
Reynolds is in the second year of his $13 million-dollar extension, set to earn $6.75 million this year. He still is under club control through 2025 with some arbitration years still left.
There is no doubt that Reynolds is one off the most important and productive players on the team right now, and with the Winter Meetings a week away, it’s going to be interesting to see how the team proceeds with the situation.
On one hand, the Pirates could get a pretty decent package for Reynolds because of his track record and years of control. But, on the other it would become an even more starved Pirates lineup that is already lack luster to begin with.
There are a lot of outfield-needy teams that are ready to compete right now like the Astros, Guardians, Dodgers, and Mets that could be looking at Reynolds as a real option for them.
One thing is for sure though, if Bryan Reynolds does go, his presence will be missed not only in the lineup, but by the fans. He’s been able to make himself a fan favorite the past few seasons with fans being able to watch him grow and turn into an All-Star caliber player.