PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – From a pure business standpoint, maybe you can understand the Pirates thought of going to arbitration with players. If you cave into every player's wish or an agent's value for the player it can create a bad business environment.
Such is where the Pirates find themselves with All-Star Bryan Reynolds.
The 27-year-old reportedly asked for $4.9 million, while the Pirates countered with $4.25 million. The team has opted for a hearing before an arbiter instead of continuing to talk.
Years ago, uber-enthusiastic Bucs shortstop Jack Wilson said what killed some of the innocence of playing baseball for him was going through an arbitration hearing. Having representatives from the Pirates picking out his faults in front of him to save what in baseball terms are nickels and dimes. It changed how Wilson saw the game.
Reynolds seems a lot more cynical by nature and less wide-eyed about getting to play a game for a living. Still if this continues to be a battle over a few hundred thousand dollars, remember we aren't talking about you-and-me money, but baseball money. How will this impact Reynolds future?
Reynolds, an All-Star, hit .302 last season. He led Major League Baseball in triples, had 35 doubles, hit 24 home runs, drove in 90 runs with a .390 on-base percentage and .522 slugging percentage. Reynolds did this on a team with little talent around him.
Still Reynolds said he would listen to offers about a contract extension, but according to the Trib's Kevin Gorman at Spring Training, the Bucs haven't made one. GM Ben Cherington said he would open the door to share information to start a conversation in the off-season.
It's Reynolds first year in arbitration (he will have to do this three more years), they paid him $601,000 last year for those numbers. The bargain akin to trading in a Ford Focus for a Porsche.
Reynolds had more RBI than:
Bryce Harper ($330 million contract)
Jose Altuve ($163.5 million contract)
Freddie Freeman ($162 million contract)
Javier Baez ($140 million contract)
Reynolds had more HR than:
Mookie Betts ($365 million contract)
Francisco Lindor ($341 million contract)
Xander Bogaerts ($120 million contract)
Reynolds had a higher batting average than:
Fernando Tatis ($340 million contract)
Manny Machado ($300 million contract)
Paul Goldschmidt ($130 million contract)
JD Martinez ($110 million contract)
Carlos Correa ($105 million contract)
The Pirates are taking Reynolds to a hearing over $675,000.
According to spotrac.com, the Bucs have a current payroll of $35.75 million and spent $12 million on free agents this offseason.
