The Pirates have made a handful of moves to bring in major league talent this winter, but one of the biggest storylines remains the potential departure of star outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds handed in a trade request on December 3, but at this point remains on the Bucs’ roster, with the team reportedly setting a high asking price for the 27-year-old. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi adds a bit more depth to that, reporting Pittsburgh wants a top starting pitcher to headline the return. Morosi cites the Dodgers’ Bobby Miller and the Blue Jays’ Ricky Tiedemann – both of whom are top-40 MLB prospects – as examples of the sort of prospect they want.
While both L.A. and Toronto could make sense as speculative fits for Reynolds, neither has been reported as in discussions with the Pirates. That’s not true of the Yankees though, and Morosi further reports that New York has been in contact with the Pirates over the past few weeks. The Yankees’ major remaining off-season need is a left-fielder so the switch-hitting Reynolds makes plenty of sense, especially given the free agent market has thinned out considerably following Andrew Benintendi and Michael Conforto finding new homes.
As Morosi notes, one roadblock to a deal could be Pittsburgh’s desire for a starting pitcher to headline the deal. The Yankees’ system is headlined by position player prospects such as Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza and Jasson Dominguez. Their top starting pitcher prospects, according to Baseball America, are Randy Vasquez, Will Warren and Drew Thorpe, but all three project as back-of-the-rotation types rather than the frontline starter Pittsburgh is seeking. Clayton Beeter shot up New York’s prospect charts after coming over from the Dodgers in the Joey Gallo trade and would be an intriguing name to watch, but unlikely to headline any deal.
A potential trade of Reynolds would help to free up the surplus of outfielders the Pirates have. Alternatively, as Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic writes, general manager Ben Cherington could package up one of his lesser-known outfielders with other prospects in a deal, possibly for a starting pitcher.
“We would still like to add a starting pitcher. That market’s been strong, but we continue to stay engaged with some free agents and trade opportunities. Both of those can be hard to speculate, in terms of how likely it is to line up. We’d also like to add another position player, if we can,” Cherington said.
As things stand, the Pirates are slated to go with some combination of Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, Miguel Andujar and Connor Joe in the outfield at the major league level, with Ji Hwan Bae, Calvin Mitchell, Canaan Smith-Njigba and Travis Swaggerty options as well, so it certainly makes sense that the Pirates could dip into that group to try and bolster another part of the roster.
Biertempfel’s report also provides some update on shortstop Oneil Cruz, who sustained an ankle injury playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
“He does have some swelling. He’s not gonna play right now and let that calm down. We’re going to try to get him to the States after the holidays, just to be sure about what’s going on. But all reports so far are that it’s a relatively minor thing. It should pass without being too much of an issue,” Cherington said.
While there’s nothing definitive there, it doesn’t seem like there’s too much concern over Cruz’ status from the Pirates. After belting 17 home runs and slashing .233/.294/.450 across 361 plate appearances, Cruz finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, and looks set to be Pittsburgh’s opening day shortstop in 2023.
Every pirates player gets traded away. Reynolds is just getting ahead of it
Categorically untrue.
Many of them bust and end up in Korea or wherever.
And Vazquez went to prison.
Playing for the California Penal league…
Cashman only makes deals by signing them …he isnt smart enough to work out a trade..
DavRozNYY is this sarcasm? if not, did you just start following baseball?
He got Holms, And Luke Voit… Rizzo and Stanton…. guess you are wrong…???!!
So in 20 years he got 2 salary dumps (Rizzo, Stanton and this contract is a hindrance to the team),Voit was a flash in the pan.All his big dealings are through free agency.
Domingo German is available. Just sayin.
And he is a pile of dog droppings. Just saying. His ERA absolutely proves it.
@koz125- he really is? German seems a lot better then the minor leaguer starters on that Pirates major league roster. Somebody’s not paying attention
German would just be a throw in piece on a trade. Close to free agency so there is very little need for him on the Pirates.
If you know absolutely anything about mlb , you’d also know that German is trash, when it comes to a trade for a player of Reynolds caliber . Even 10 Germans would not even start the conversation,
But they might invade your country.
except that the Pirates player development is itself horrible and trading for a pitcher who already has a high ERA, it would only worsen with the Bucs
@ARC 2- Ah no, German has 2 years before he’s a free agent. Domingo can easily be a #3 or #4 for the Pirates rotation. Pittsburgh doesn’t have much better anyway. Clarke Schmidt can help also, as a starter or a reliever.
@Coach77- you’re absolutely right “the Pittsburgh Pirates are trash.” I understand that.
The Pirates don’t want someone 2 years from free agency nor do they want a #3 starter
BC has been very adamant on what it will take to trade for Reynolds
You can say whatever you please, Captain, but it won’t change the facts
TheMan 3- the list I have above seems “very fair” let’s stop pretending it’s not. Bryan Reynolds is better then Juan Soto, all of a sudden??? Please just stop overrating this guy!!!
And he wrote that B Reynolds is better than Soto, where exactly?
@captjud It would take more than just German to get Reynolds. I don’t see German as a #3 starter since he has only 1 season over 100 innings. He is more of a swingman. many other teams could easily top the offer of German for reynolds.
let’s stop pretending that you’re the final word on a Reynolds trade
It’s not that I’m overrating his value, but I know what BC wants and with 3 years left of control, the Pirates will either wait for a good deal or keep him
I can give cap some facts……about the New York Yankees:
Top 5 EVERY year in payroll.
Since 2003, coming up on the last 20 years
2 WS appearances 1 Win
Considering how much more money they have to spend on players vs most of the entire league, that showing is embarrassing to say the least
Pull up
CaptainJudge-Cashman would never trade young players for an established veteran,Where are Chance Adams,Frazier and Andujar now?
I think that he was as doing what you are doing-you do not want give up several very good prospects for a proven good major leaguer with years of control.
The Yankees do not match because they do not have the young pitching.And Keller and Contreras are hardly trash.
@Mendoza Line 215- It’s funny the Pirates got Contreras from the Yankees for Taillon, and your right he’s not trash. Andujar is on the Pirates also, give him 500 at bats next season and expect 20-25 homeruns with him playing everyday.
You pretend to know so much about free agency and baseball, but you can’t see how biased your opinion really is. None of those pitchers would get a player of Reynolds value, just like those guys didn’t lure Arizona to part with Varsho. Just stop it dude…the Yankees may be your entire world, but they aren’t the only club in the universe.
There’s only one good player in baseball, stop saying anyone else is good!
What truly is unfortunate is the pieces Charington wants is exactly what Cashman gave away for Montas. Unlike the rest of the baseball world outside of the Oakland brass he thought Montas was a playoff worthy pitcher. Now Cashman is gonna have to get creative and involve a 3rd team. He needs to flip Volpe to the Marlins before the rest of the baseball world finds out he is Hanley Ramirez lite. No that won’t happen because Cashman loves to hug his top prospects and tell them what good major league players they are while the entire fanbase rolls their eyes at watching them actually play. Judge was a can’t miss. Not sure why he fell to the Yankees besides his size and injury history. If they are decent he gives them away, check the Giants LF and Red/White Sox pens to see that. You left Refsnyder and Bird off your list of the ones he likes. Sanchez well he is his own worst enemy. Cashman has said how much he would prefer a small market team in the past. He has zero talent evaluation skills. That isn’t gonna make him a beloved member of a small market staff.
Koz, I’m fairly confident that you missed Joe’s obvious sarcasm.
@Clipper- sarcasm? I think not, the Pirates would be lucky to have both German and Schmidt back in a Reynolds deal. I strongly disagree.
Captain I was being sarcastic. While German would go right into the front of their rotation, he doesn’t have the upside of what they would be looking for. Schmidt isn’t much better.
Cap, I don’t think they would do that trade with German as a centerpiece. Pirates have been open about considering Reynolds’ worth on par with that of Soto, which would yield a higher value, imho.
I could be wrong, and I respect your opinion. I think they’re looking at higher level prospects though. If a deal comes together it wouldn’t surprise me to see Schmidt included, but they are going to want to make it hurt.
As of right now, I don’t see a trade lining up between the two teams. I can see a three-team trade (perhaps Marlins or MIF-needy team) coming together though.
I look at it this way: look at what Daulton Varsho just landed for the DBacks, and Reynolds is going to get more (most likely).
But, time will tell my friend. Look at Castillo and how that situation changed over the years. The same could happen here too. There’s no doubt the Yankees are trying to pull something together though. And, for the record, I hope I wrong. If I am, it means a deal is likely to occur and our farm system won’t be pillaged.
Cherington never said that Reynolds was an equal talent of Soto, he said he wanted a similar trade
You’re almost worthy of being muted. You come across as a know it all then prove you know nothing
That would get the ball rolling with Volpe and Dominquez
I assume that’s a response to me, TheMan3? If so, you’re misquoting me. I said they “value his worth as being on par with Soto”. That’s not saying he’s an equal talent at all. That’s simply referencing how they consider market supply and demand, and how Reynolds fits into that.
Aren’t you the one who tried to chastise me about speaking about a Reynolds trade, suggesting it was only Yankees fans talking about it despite these continuing stories?
Also, please don’t try to use “mute” as a threat, because it’s not. You keep insulting me, and although I can easily do the same, I don’t because I’m not insecure. If you want to, it’s not some grand punishment. It shows how emotionally stunted you are – an emotional midget, if you will.
No wasn’t me, Pirates just want trade for quantity in Cherringtons final year or 2
Clemente21, that was directed at TheMan3. He’s unable to hold an adult conversation without getting offended by any suggested Reynolds trade. I fully expect the Pirates to hold their ground and receive a good haul for Reynolds. The DBacks wanted Torres and Peraza for Varsho, and Reynolds is going to require more without a doubt in my mind.
I honestly think he’s confusing me with someone else because I’ve been pretty objective and consistent in saying the Yankees don’t really line up well for a Reynolds trade. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have the player, I think he’s great, but I don’t see the Yankees having what the Pirates want for him.
I was responding to CaptainJudge, not you, Yankee Clipper
But if you can’t understand that wasn’t you, muting you is a viable option
Maybe reading the other comments before laying into me YankeeClipper.
I WASN’T RESPONDING TO YOU
Oh no the BitterOldMan3 is going to mute me! Noooooo. No big loss. He only says something that is either Captain Obvious or he makes something up. Cherington never said that he wants something similar to the Soto trade. That’s just some other gms likely exaggerated opinion of the asking price according to a reporter. Cherington never said anything about his asking price. As a gm the only thing he said was some sort of gm bs about how we love Bryan and fully expect him to be a key part of our team.
the problem with BC is he left some very good players go for not so good returns. remember the Christmas eve present we all got a few years ago? a right handed reliever and a kid that will probably never see the majors.
Not a strong return but what other ones were not so good? Bell was a slightly above average dh when he was traded. Those don’t have much value. Washington taught him how to throw so he could actually play 1b. Also improved his hitting consistency. Even after all the improvement he only got 16 million in free agency. Arb 3 he got 10 million. Not a lot of value there. Bell trade was necessary for salary dump and draft pick position. It was a not horrible trade.
Dream- I understand your arguements about the Bell and Marte trades as previously stated,but in my opinion the biggest common denominator was dumping the salaries.
I think that they would have got more for them if they kept both of them and traded them later.
Cole was traded with two years remaining because he was a pitcher who had had somewhat minor arm problems,wanted out,and could have lost both years with a major injury.
And the Pirates would have been much less horrid for two and three years if they had these two good major league position players on their team.
Here I will have to disagree with Bob Nutting’s dictates.
YC-I am coming in late,but it was obvious to me that The Man was addressing Captain Judge and not you,
In my opinion you are a classy Yankee poster.
The Captain,on the other hand,is clearly an example of an arrogant one who wants good players given to the Yankees.
Big difference.
@Clipper- I hear you and your right, but Gleyber Torres hit 26 home runs last season, and all these loser Pirate fans are treating him like a piece of trash. Gil, Vasquez, German/ Schmidt, Will Warren/Thorpe along with Torres is plenty for Bryan Reynolds. I would think you would agree with me. Hope all is well.
TheMan3: I took it that you were responding to me based, in part, on your response to my post the other day as well.
Nonetheless, I apologize to you for misreading your reply and responding accordingly.
Marte was traded twice and neither return was close to being as good as the Pirates. Bell wasn’t much more unless he repeated his 2019 start. Cleveland only thought he was worth 16 million. A better tax or contending team must not have thought he was worth more than 12 or 13. Prepare to be disappointed in the Reynolds return.
Different time period,and different players.
I think that they are much more adverse to criticism and hopefully a much better team at this point who can actually use Reynolds to eventually at least become a winning team.He is the cornerstone.He may not be quite as good as advertised,but the fact that many teams are interested in him says a lot about his ability and what they can get for him.
I am still amazed that these two players did not get more in return after they were subsequently traded,but Marte was heralded by many as being the best centerfielder in admittedly a light position,and $16M a year is not chicken feed even in today’s ridiculous world.
Captain- No one is downgrading Torres,but the Pirates for some reason have a glut of young middle infielders.
German is a good starter for the Yankees.He could be part of a trade,but not the main part.
The Pirates at this point want to return to respectability so that their fans do not have to put up with trolls( not you)on MLB trade rumors.
I am not real familiar with all of your proposed players but from what I know it seems to be a reasonable offer.
And please understand at this point Reynolds is much more valuable to the Pirates than any other team in baseball,and will be for another year or two.
apologize accepted YC
Thank you
I agree with you. I would not trade German and Schmidt and others for Reynolds. Cabrera looked great in LF for the most part. At worst, you could do a deal at the deadline if Cabrera is struggling. Hicks played in 130 games last year, and the Yankees still won their division.
Pirates want long term solutions to frontline starters. German would be a short term solution and FA before Pirates truly are competitive again. So, German doesn’t fit the bill of what the Pirates wants and need. Yankees are one trade partner that Pirates will have a hard time making a deal with. I feel like a third team needs to come in to make the deal possible. Reynolds to Yankees, German and Swaggerty to 3rd team, Peraza, frontline SP prospect and possible low A pitching prospect to Pittsburgh. 3rd team choices could be Dodgers, Blue Jays, or Braves.
And Schmidt…
This article makes it seem like a trade request is an official form he fills out. It is? If so, I never knew of this.
Ha. I was just about to post the same question. My guess is no. Just phrased awkwardly by the writer.
He can want a trade but he’s not going anywhere until the Pirates get the offer they want.
He was just being figurative.
Yeah, it’s called a Trade Chit. He passes it to the Sergeant Major of Trades. It must be approved or denied within three weeks of submission and passed forward through the chain of command, to the Trades Captain.
You wouldn’t be chitin’ me now, right?
I think that a deal with the Pirates could still potentially get done, but it would require more quantity than quality.
Trading away Waldichuk and Wesneski at the Deadline definitely hurt our chances, in retrospect.
Agreed. If they stick to wanting a top pitcher, a third team may have to be involved for the Yankees to get him.
I think the Varscho trade with Moreno and Gurriel are a good comparison. Varsho had a worth of 72 on trade values, and Moreno and Gurriel had a value of 58. The Yanks could make an offer of Torres, Schmidt, and Gil., or Dominguez, Schmidt, and Periera.
I would do that deal. Most Yankee fans would probably crucify the person who proposes such a deal, but let’s face it– Reynolds is a bench mark for what we hope Dominguez will be. Prospects are prospects until they prove themselves. Love me some Martian gameplay, but he is expendable under the right circumstances
@slider32- please stop overrating this guy. The Pirates are NOT getting Dominguez. Gleyber, Pereira, German/Schmidt, Sweeney and Vasquez is good enough. If not then just forget about Reynolds. The Pirates fans think Gleyber has no value, that’s how dumb they are.
Sue u would as a Yankee fan
Except the jays gave up one of the best prospects in baseball who plays catcher and you want to give up a 700 ops 2b that the Pirates have no want or need for. His value is only what they could trade him for. With his salary and control it isn’t much.
Gleyyber has significantly less value to the Pirates than he would for other teams. Torres is too close to free agency for ownership’s liking and plays where the organization has several pre-arbitration players to sort through (Cruz, Bae, Rodolfo Castro, Nick Gonzales, Liover Peguero) so the GM wouldn’t like the fit either. No chance Torres is in the hypothetical deal.
I think if he gets traded, Reynolds ends up in Seattle or Texas.
Again, their mistakes in waiting on talent creates the need for them to respond to a limited field, thus binding their potential options and forcing overpays relative to the acquisition. Happens each time and it will again if they don’t address LF soon. They will be forced to accept what’s there instead of actively choosing the best option.
July/august trade deadline they will get their haul
Have to laugh. It’s like the writers at MLBTR are going to keep pushing this theme until it actually happens
Are they pushing the theme or are they just reporting on all the theme pushing going on behind the scenes? Personally I’d rather hear something than nothing, until something happens if it actually does.
It’s unlikely *anything* is going on behind the scenes in late December and less likely that if there was, anyone here would be aware of it. The fact that Reynolds said it seems to be enough to warrant a new, “Will the Pirates trade him?” article that says nothing.
Personally, I agree with @YourDreamGM and others. Trade him for guys who’ll fit into the re-load philosophy of actual young talent they can control for a few years ala Tampa Bay or Cleveland.
I know that post-meetings time is a boring period, but continually regurgitating the same drivel for clicks and comments isn’t news and really, doesn’t even qualify as “rumors”
What theme? The theme of a mlb trade rumors site reporting on rumors concerning the subject?
So you think the writers of MLBTR have an investment in Reynolds being traded and so they are pushing it? And it’s definitely not a rumor site reporting on rumors, right?
The rumor came in the form of a statement Reynolds made three weeks ago. Since then, the site has essentially reconfigured the same article and ideas at least five times or placed the “rumor” in a number of hodge-podge articles
Maybe you don’t get here too often
No. I am here frequently. I doubt your number of five but whatever. Five articles would be lost in the flow of articles here. There was updated info. The Pirates were describing in more detail what the Pirates wanted for Reynolds, amongst other things. So I say again. This is a rumor site. This is what they do. I think maybe it’s YOU that doesn’t “get here too often”.
Haha. I’ll let others speak to that whopper as I spend *too much* time here but have never seen your moniker on Pirates threads
In fact, I may be understating the number of articles and blurbs—something not lost on Pirates fans here
Good that you enjoy the site and are so defensive. Maybe they’ll hire you
There’s probably been more than 5 articles about the potential trade of Reynolds since the Winter Meetings when the story originally broke
TiredolfDude is correct
5 sounds like a perfect over under. I like any article. But this information is a few days old. Seems like they sat on this one for a low news day like today which is fine. They didn’t force anyone to click on the article.
TiredolfDude is correct
=========================
I agree. It’s kind of a re-tread. But that’s also what most of us are doing in here. Maybe 80%+ of the stuff that any of the writers write about won’t happen. But it gives us something to do in the winter.
SalaryCap-I can assure you that Tiredolddude is a veteran on Pirate related articles.In fact,The Man 3 and I call him Energeticyoungdude when it comes to posting.
this is the second article they wrote in a week about trading him. they know it generates reads and responses. not many articles about Lopez or some other obvious trade candidates.
@tiredolddude
You’re on the wrong site if you think we want to hear you complaining about trade rumors
These articles are why most of us come here
You’re missing the point, A’s. I *agree* with you. Point is, it was reported. And reported. And reported.
It’s the same article, reconfigured, over and over
It’s like watching 24 hours of “A Christmas Story”. Ok. We got it. We liked the article.
Anything new going on?
But thanks
The Dodgers only have less than a million if they want to dodge the CBT this year with Trevor Bauer reinstated. Makes no sense they trade Miller for Reynolds, because that makes their Payroll up to about 240M with Reynolds get 6.75M, unless.. They trade Bauer for Reynolds
The Dodgers could do a bad-contract trade with someone to lower their CBT payroll. Bauer and propects for someone like the Nationals and Corbin. LA’s CBT payroll drops by about $10M. The Nats immediately cut Bauer, and save about $25M and get some prospects.
My bad brave, didn’t mean to jump on your point. Your comment wasn’t loaded till I posted for some reason & the edit timer didn’t show up for me to delete. Great minds. Ha
Great minds indeed. 🙂
I would love Bauer too. Maybe they eat some of his contract and give up a solid reliever and/or outfielder? He would bring a manly presence to the team that they haven’t had since Nola Ryan.
*Nolan Ryan
Manly presence?
They don’t have to be under the line after every move, just in the aggregate.
It can involve attaching a dead contract like Treinen to a prospect that is blocked but intriguing to another team
Has money ever bothered dodgers or yanks, come on
yes. if they find a taker for Bauer they might trade for Reynolds as well. They have the depth. I don’t see the Pirates wanting their catcher, but at least one of Vargas or Miller.
I like Bauer to Tampa. They only draw like a million fans and half of those are fans of other teams or just baseball fans in general. He needs to go somewhere that fans aren’t going to games anyways. I think most fans who say they will stop going to games because of this or that never went to games anyways. I think most just want their team to win and don’t care what their players done. Heck trade him to Pittsburgh. He’s no worse than Bae. Obviously would need to eat a lot of his salary.
If I was Pittsburgh I’d be asking for Cortes and Cabrera.
LOL that sounds like something the Pirates front office would do. Not a snowball’s chance in hell that Cortes gets dealt, and certainly not for Reynolds
Every day player is worth more than a number 3 starter.
Done. I love Nestor, but never let emotion stand in the way of a deal. Pirates won’t do it though.
Pirates have to realize that they need every day starters and not prospects for Reynolds. They have made bad trades the last few years Glasnow/Meadows, Cole, Holmes, and others for the last 5 years. They might have cold feet with Reynolds right now. They need to get major league players or major league ready prospects for Reynolds. This GM has to start turning this team aroung pronto. The Yanks have Torres with some control who they are trying to trade, if the Pirates got him a 3 WAR player, and another couple of pieces like Schmidt and Warren, it would be a fair trade. Reynolds is not a super star.
Under Cherington, the Pirates have actually been making SMART deals, acquiring a plethora of young talent that’s now beginning to percolate to the surface. Given their financial model, it makes no sense to acquire guys whose free agent clock is already running and who are going to reach arbitration/free agency well before the rest of the team is ready.
Their window of opportunity COULD be 2024/2025 if they can pair a top shelf pitching prospect with Contreras, and fill out the rest of the rotation with guy s like Keller and so forth., especially with the Cardinals rotation headed to free agency after this season and the Brewers struggling to retain Burnes/Woodruff for both financial and free agency reasons.
It only takes one team to meet your asking price, and there seem to be several chasing after Reynolds. I think Pittsburgh’s going to get back a nice haul, and I applaud them for pursuing the pieces their own system lacks.
The Pirates have no interest in Torres…NONE! You obviously don’t follow the Pirates.
They would have interest in Torres. They would immediately trade him for younger cheaper players. Doesn’t make sense for NY to trade a key part of their rotation this late in free agency though.
Nestor
Your not
German/Schmidt, Gil, Gomez, Beeter, Thorpe, Vasquez, and Warren are all available to the Pirates. They can any of the 3 they want. And then a choice of Pereira or Sweeney. Seems like a fair trade for the Pirates. Let Reynolds finally get a taste of what it’s like to win for crying out loud! Smh
So there will be no trade then. Basically spare parts for Reynolds. Relievers, bottom rotation prospects. Just stop
Teams have held onto assets and have regretted it. Look at Martin Perez and Matt Moore. You have to think what you can get in return. Instead of dismissing it outright, the Pirates would likely build on that and ask for some better upside guys or involve a 3rd team. I’m not a Yankees can here; just a realist. JD wanted the world for Darvish and had to settle, and the other 2 were worthless to hold onto. It sometimes helps to put logic ahead of emotions as a fan, as hard as it seems. Look what Texas got for Gallo. He was my favorite player, yet I liked the trade at the time since his value was expiring.
Gallo was traded because they wanted to rid of that bad contract so this is 100% a different situation.
He didn’t have a bad contract. What are you talking about? 2021 Padres were considering giving up Hassell/Gore/Abrahms with Hosmer’s deal. You are misinformed about the deal and his value. He had 2 gold gloves, 2 all star appearances, led MLB in walks, and had a .869 OPS that year before the deal.
@kwolf68- all of a sudden Reynolds is Willie Mayes? Let’s stop being delusional now. If Reynolds isn’t traded then we don’t need to hear how lousy the Pirates are in 2023 and beyond then. Spare parts? You just defined the Pirates Organization. Smh
That’s so true. I hate guys with absurd valuations of players. Reynolds was trashy defensively last year. He is a great hitter, but he isn’t getting extended. I get the argument most prospects don’t pan out, but those who do make it risky. Average and median prospect value are very different, so it’s easy to confuse the two. Reynolds came over in the McCutchen trade; Wheeler came over in the Beltran trade. There are countless other examples of really lopsided trades.
Cmon, Cap. And you just defined the Yankees fan base. I actually like the Yankees but I have come to believe the days of simply sending the Pirates “spare parts” as someone above said are over.
And yeah, Reynolds isn’t Mays. He’s not even a superstar, but just like a team will overspend on a free agent because the market demands it, so too will a good player bring back some solid guys who fit into the plan
No, they shouldn’t get the haul that Soto brought but I hope Cherington sticks to his guns
Captain, no one is calling Reynolds a superstar, but with 3 years of control before he hits free agency, considering the outrageous contracts being signed this offseason, his value is still higher than most
If Reynolds is so overrated why do you want him so much?
Idk who you are asking, but overrated guys can be good. They would just cost too much. I can want every player via trade, but we all have our values that we wouldn’t exceed.
I feel that Yankee offer for Reynolds is definitely fair, nobody is really expecting the Pirates to contend in 2023 anyway. It’s all a process obviously.
The usual pattern seems to be:
FAN: Here’s some guys we don’t want for the guy we really want.
RESPONSE: We don’t your castoffs and garbage.
FAN: Fine, your guy isn’t that good anyway.
Later, after said player is traded:
FAN: Why didn’t we get him???
Exactly Devlsh, lol.
I doubt the pirates are looking for “fair”. And when ppl refer to as fair, they’ve typically overvalued
Yankee fans: Will give you AAAA pitchers for Reynolds
Keep dreaming
German Schmidt is the new Andujar Frazier.
Why not see what the Twins would want for Luis Arraez? I’d be way more willing to pony up for him
Or the Orioles switch hitting outfielder also
I wonder what else they would give Seattle for Ray? Are they willing to pay top dollar for top pitching? We also have Hancock if they want young controllable players. Jerry should start that conversation you can have Hancock for Reynolds and who else. Put ‘em on their back foot and make them sweat. I don’t know how these things are done. Ray would definitely need more back Emerson would be a few players going back and forth. Before you jump all over me like injury prone not a front line starter etc it is Christmas Eve be charitable.
Also with our top 4 any of them could be a #1 starter on many teams. Hancock will come in and be a 5.in a couple years could be good enough to be a 1 but who is he going to pass up?
Players going back and forth not sure if they need a C but Murphy could go start. I am not sure who else we would trade. Seems all spots are good maybe Haggerty and send us a SS/3rd bm that needs a little more time. Anyway those are my thoughts.
The pirates aren’t going to pay Ray’s salary. That’s practically their entire payroll lol. I bet Hancock and kelenic would get it done.
And Ray isn’t waving his no trade clause
Logan Gilbert for Reynolds is pretty even when looking at the MLB Trade Value simulator. Actually, Logan is a bit more. Hancock doesn’t even move the needle.
Texas has Zeke Duran, Jose Smith, Justin Foscue, Jonathan Orneleas, Leody Tavares, Owen White, Luisangel Acuna Jr., Thomas Saggese, and more guys readily available. Could a third team possibly help facilitate a deal between Texas and Pitt? Texas has a consensus top 6 farm with lots of depth and Owen White/Justin Foscue/Duran are or were all top 100 prospects at some point.
Probably have to deal from the pitching part of the farm system as well. Leiter, rocker, porter. One of those three would almost certainly have to go. If the rangers could make it happen where we sent porter, Duran, foscue and maybe a couple of lower level prospects for Reynolds, I’d be perfectly fine with that.
Yeah. I would limit them to 1 of the big 3. No Carter, Jung, or Zavala (who is literally the same as Carter but a little older and with less defensive value) trades
Surplus of outfielders?
Maybe borderline talent outfielders.
I don’t think you will see any at the All Star game in the next few years unless they bought a ticket.
Some will probably get DFAed at some point.
That’s what folks said about Reynolds… suwinski bae Mitchell and smith-ngijba all made the shoe in their 23 year old season
The mariners have a surplus of pitching. They’ve long coveted Reynolds. And they have Emerson Hancock ready to go. Why no mention of this? The writer mentions just one possible trade partner. Why? Yankees fan?
@Rick: They have an outside report from Morosi that the Yankees are interested. That’s why they mentioned the Yankees.
It’s just typical. Yankees fan dream of getting a guy like Reynolds for middling prospects. Absurd. There is no fit with NYY, warren doesn’t come close to the pitching prospect Pitt covets. Hancock? Miller or stone? That’s the target.
You see the dumb proposals by Yankees fans. Basically keeping their top 5 guys off the table and offering organizational depth fodder for a 27 year old all star outfielder.
It doesn’t matter if the Yankees get Reynolds or not. As long as they have the American leagues version of Ben Shelton managing them….they aren’t going anywhere.
So the report that Yankees have been discussing Reynolds with the Pirates for several weeks, which has been reported by several outlets and named Morosi as a source, is because “Yankees fans and their dream…”? What?!
I’ve seen several Pirates fans chastise Yankees fans for mentioning a Reynolds trade as if it was a mythical story emanating from the abyss, despite it being reported. It almost sounds as if Pirates fans are worried because they know the Pirates may once again choose to save money over doing what’s best for their team.
So, it seems that if one fanbase is dreaming, it’s the Pirates. They’re dreaming that they actually have a choice in the matter. They’re dreaming their billionaire owner actually cares about anything other than making more money.
Time will tell how much the Pirates get for Reynolds because he isn’t staying there. But instead of criticizing people for talking about actual ongoing trade discussions, perhaps you should reflect on how the organization historically operates.
Also, just because other teams make “more sense” to you, doesn’t mean they’re interested in trading for him.
Dodgers, mariners and Texas make the most sense.
Miami also.
Mariners are a real possibility.
Because Hancock isn’t even in the Top 100. Mariner fans are way overvaluing him. That’s why no mention. Do some research.
One of the nails in Bobby Evans coffin as GM. Bryan Reynolds and Kyle Crick for Andrew McCutcheon. Yikes. In fairness Reynolds was only in A ball then but it remains one of the worst trades for SF ever
agnes gooch;
Mr. Reynolds is going to be in MLB for a lot more years….as a LF and DH….maybe later at 1B.
He’ll be a decent ML player. Will have some years better and some years worse. Right now he’s the only good player on a rebuilding team. But get it out of your head that he’ll be a perpetual All-Star / franchise-type player.
Watch some Pirates games.
Samuel: I never said Reynolds was a perpetual all star? Where did I say that. But he’s a thousand times better than any outfielder that the Giants’ farm has churned out in the last ten years. Hopefully that we’ll change soon, a few guys on the farm looking better but SF has a problem developing outfielders. It’s well known.
You are telling me to watch Pirates games? Maybe you should watch some Giants games! Ha ha
agnes gooch;
I watched some Giants games in 2022. Not for long. They’re a boring, 2nd division team. Terrible defense. Show little Baseball IQ. Seldom do smart things on the field to win.
They’re a typical strong analytic-based team with no appreciation for fundamental play. The players just stand there, waiting for the opportunity to pad their stats. I’ve seen that with teams over the years. Most MLB teams have moved past that to a balanced approach.
Samuel: good on you for knowing all of that but none of it is pertinent to this particular discussion. That Reynolds is far better than any OF that SF has developed in an incredibly long time and Bobby Evans partially got canned for that trade. That’s all I was saying in my original post. I wasn’t trying to do a deep dig into SF’s current approach at all.
Merry Christmas!
Congratulations, Agnes. You’ve just been Samuel’d.
I just gave you that 5th thumbs up. Once Sam sees he’s been out smarted by you and the other commenters see it too, well you are going on his mute list. Welcome to the club my friend.
Thanks bhamabrave! I feel honored! I’ll be sure to watch out for Samuel from now on Lolol
Thanks DreamGM! I feel right at home in the club 🙂
agnes gooch;
I’ve had those 2 you cited on mute for some time, and for good reason. Whatever they wrote about me to you tells me I did the
right thing.
As the saying goes:
“Those that think they have someone eating out of their hand might be wise to count their fingers”.
I found early in life that it’s best to go ones own way and stay away from groupthink. In fact, I’ve always liked Bob Dylan for doing that – even when he went electric from being a folk singer and all his “fans” booed him and threw things at him and his band. He seems
to have done OK.
Best you join your new found friends.
Samuel, that’s pretty funny. I still don’t know why you muted me. You never said. I’m generally a live and let live sort of person.
The Giants won 108 games in 2021.
Nice completely irrelevant stat sams burner account.
The pirates want sure fire ML ready players. they are not settling for the shot gun approach they took since BC took over. The yankees don’t have the goods. see the Guardians, Dodgers and Seattle as possibilities.
wvsteve;
The Guardians are overloaded with young quality OF’s. Steven Kwan plays LF for them. His rookie year in 2022 as a lead-off hitter was:
.298 / .373 /.400 /.772. With a 124 OPS+ and 5.5 bWAR.
He’s better than Bryan Reynolds.
As for Reynolds playing CF – 1) Cleveland depends on defense, they would never play him there; and 2) that have 3 young CF’s that will prove to be better than him.
he’s solid but a light hitter. now power. Reynolds is better. Cleveland needs to do something to put them over the top though. they can afford Reynolds.
wvsteve;
Fine.
Tony Gwynn had no power either. And if you haven’t seen him play, Steven Kwan is a very good LF.
Players have different roles on teams. I use WAR not as a bible, but just to get a feel for how a player fits in with other players. Kwan’s WAR was almost double that of Reynolds in 2022, and Kwan was a rookie while Reynolds was in his 3rd full season and 4th overall.
Kwan is a good player. never said he wasn’t or he should be dealt for Reynolds. Cleveland would be better with Reynolds and have the goods to get him. Reynolds is the best Pirate since Cutch.
The Seattle Mariners are a realistic possibility in a trade for Reynolds.
Pittsburgh has no pure outfielders in their Top 10, no 1B in their Top 10, just one pitcher in their Top 5, and they need immediate MLB help at SP and RP; they also have three 2B prospects in their Top 11.
Meanwhile, Seattle has no top MLB right-hand hitting OF (left field) nor do they have a 2B “near-ready” in their system (2B Wong is on a one-year deal and is 32 years old).
A trade with Pittsburgh for OF Bryan Reynolds and #5 2B prospect Nick Gonzales might look something like this:
* SP Chris Flexen (28, in his prime, will be around as Pittsburgh rebuilds).
* SP Taylor Dollard (age 23, #7 prospect, who went 16-2 in AA with 2.25 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and is 25-6 in his two year minor league career). Mariners Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2022.
* OF Jarred Kelenic, age 23, or OF prospect Zach DeLoach, age 24.
* RP Penn Murfee
* 1B prospect Robert Perez, Jr., age 22, who hit .288/.398/.921 OPS with 27 HR, 114 RBI, and 100 runs scored in 2022. Mariners Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2022.
Rick you are smoking some pretty strong stuff if you think Seattle is doing that. I forgot about Marco and Flexen they are cheap and have controllable years left. Reynolds is not a must have and never was. More like a nice to have.
I also think he has one more year of control after this one. Every player you named has more control. Jerry will never get fleeced like that. Flexen and Kelenic I would think the best you could get. Again he is no longer a must have but a nice to have. Oh and Murfee in that deal is a no go. Why would he take out a very good player in the pen for a nice to have.
The only team doing the fleecing would be Seattle. Pittsburgh would get laughed at so hard for this. As if the asking price were already high enough, this trade isn’t even in the same realm of possibilities. Jerry would do that deal and twice on Sundays!
Baseball trade values has this proposal as Pirates trading 76.40 and getting 22.40. Gonzales has more value than anyone Seattle is giving up. Pittsburgh is giving up the best player and the best prospect.
Yeah, those guys have zero idea on what they are talking about. First off, Gonzalez isn’t going anywhere in a deal with Reynolds much less for a worthless offer like that. Some people’s kids lol!
No thanks Rick. A Seattle trade starts with Hancock. Everyone you mentioned would be the 3rd or 4th player in a deal at best.
Hahahahaha!!! Dream on. Lmao!! Not even close. Pit doesn’t even pick up the phone.
Maybe Seattle. Cleveland and LA are too smart. Won’t over value Reynolds. Won’t even part with the prospect capital for his fair value. Someone above said Texas. Need a team like that. They signed DeGrom which looked like a over pay to me. So maybe they will over pay with prospects as well.
I’d say don’t concentrate so heavily on “prospects” and try to get some young guys who already have a year or two in the majors since even if we do start winning it will only be for 1-3 years.
Throw in Bednar and see if we can work a three team deal.
Problem is if they have a young guy with a year or two mlb experience they probably need him as well as Reynolds.
Reynolds scares the heck out of me. He’s been inconsistent in the no pressure city of Pittsburgh. What would he do in the pressure cooker of NYC. Over pay for him, not a chance. Sign David Peralta or wait until the trade deadline for help. Use Cabrera, Florial, and even Hicks. Hopefully, Cashman has his eye on someone that the rest of us haven’t thought of.
Don’t totally disagree with you. But what voukd he do in that lineup? He’s surrounded by players with .200 batting averages in Pitt.
Looks pretty consistent to me unless you think that 2020 2 month season has any relevance. Gms don’t consider it relevant.
Your dream,
More consistent than I remembered, but I believe his 4 year Major League career OPS+ is 127. Good but certainly not outstanding. Perhaps I should have said over rated. If you read some of the blogs above you would think he was Griffey Jr in his prime. My opinion not willing to overpay for him.
Thanks for getting me to recheck his stats.
He’s very good, not great or elite. A playable but weak cf. He belongs in lf where he is a strong defender. His value is in 3 cheap years of control.
YourDream,
In my humble opinion he has Sonny Gray written all over him.
YourDream,
In my humble opinion he has Sonny Gray written all over him. Hopefully Cashman won’t over pay for him.
Yankees get Jazz and Reynolds, Marlins get Gleyber, Cabrera, Volpe + 2 Propects, Pitates get Meyer and one of Rogers/Cabrera/Luzardo
Reynolds is a tricky trade, b/c clubs recognize he is good, but not THAT good to part with an elite pitching prospect. Example of 2 smart clubs who could use help on offense are Tampa/Cleveland, but they won’t give up Bradley or Espino respectively if that’s the expectation. Maybe its 2nd best starter prospect as headliner.
Clubs recognize his value just fine. It’s fans that don’t.
Reynolds is good, and that shouldn’t be minimized. That doesn’t mean the Pirates match up as a trading partner with every team that might like him. Yankees may be a poor fit, which would raise the price for them beyond the value they’d get in return
Mikenmn;
Bryan Reynolds had a 2.9 bWAR and fWAR last year.
Sure he’s a nice player to have, and still under control. But I don’t get the fascination with him. I understand the Pirates wanting a lot for him as he is their best player. But I can’t believe a team is going to trade their top pitching prospect for him unless they know something about that prospect that no one else suspects.
Reynolds is not a super star player, he is a 3-4 WAR, who has potential to have a 6 WAR year. Pirates need to get a player like Gleyber Torres in return for Reynolds and not all prospects. They need to start getting better on the major league level. Torres is a 3 WAR player, Reynolds has a career WAR of 12.3, Torres 10.3, both have some control. Pirates need a second basemen., to make it a fair trade Yanks would need to add Schmidt, and low level prospect.
They are targeting MLB ready prospects, not teenagers. Middle IF is not a need and Torres is already over $6m/yr. Not happening.
The last thing the pirates need is a 2b. If Torres is so fantastic then NY should keep him.
Agreed.
I’d be curious what long time Pirate fans think of Reynolds in comparison to Jason Bay.
Reynolds is ideally a corner outfielder, as Bay was. I think comments about him being an “iffy” outfielder come from guys who watch a handful of games and don’t understand. Put him in left and he’s as good as Bay defensively, although I think Bay had the better arm
At the plate, Reynolds is the better hitter while Bay had more power (and that’s even though Reynolds will hit 20-25 homers a year )
If you’re asking me, a fan since the 60’s, I’ll take Reynolds
Give me Bay. Reynolds career year 2021 is on the lower end of a typical Bay year. Bay could take a few bags as well.
I basically agree with both tired and DreamGM.But Reynolds gets my vote because I think that everyone knows what happened to Bay once he got the money.
AJ? Do you still have the Amex Black Card? Last minute shopping today?
Mariners sitting around doing nothing
antsmith7;
LOL
You have their owners confused with Steven Cohen and the Padres guy.
They’re tapped out.
As a Jays fan, I hope the Yankees give up the farm for Reynolds and then he performs like Winker did for Seattle.
The Seattle Mariners are a realistic possibility in a trade for Reynolds.
Pittsburgh has no pure outfielders in their Top 10, no 1B in their Top 10, just one pitcher in their Top 5, and they need immediate MLB help at SP and RP; they also have three 2B prospects in their Top 11.
Meanwhile, Seattle has no top MLB right-hand hitting OF (left field) nor do they have a 2B “near-ready” in their system (2B Wong is on a one-year deal and is 32 years old).
A trade with Pittsburgh for OF Bryan Reynolds and #5 2B prospect Nick Gonzales might look something like this:
* SP Chris Flexen (28, in his prime, will be around as Pittsburgh rebuilds).
* SP Taylor Dollard (age 23, #7 prospect, who went 16-2 in AA with 2.25 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and is 25-6 in his two year minor league career). Mariners Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2022.
* OF Jarred Kelenic, age 23, or OF prospect Zach DeLoach, age 24.
* RP Penn Murfee
* 1B prospect Robert Perez, Jr., age 22, who hit .288/.398/.921 OPS with 27 HR, 114 RBI, and 100 runs scored in 2022. Mariners Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2022.
I actually like this kind of thinking and the background you provided. But I’m wondering if M’s brass would agree.
You can post this twice and it still won’t happen
Right- I admittedly do not know much about young players but Dombrowski deals from areas of abundance and everyone knows that the Pirates have loads of middle infield prospects.BC may very well go for this deal and at the very least it seems to make sense to me.
The days of the Pirates wanting high ceiling low level prospects are over.Even though the Cole and Archer tales did not work out either way for the Pirates,your proposal is 5 for 2.I think that that is the odds that BC is looking for.
Reynolds may not be.an all star every year on a good team but he is the current foundation of the Pirates and every team must overpay for him at this point.He is really a left fielder but a good one and a fine switch hitter.I think that BC is looking for a trade that will not embarrass him in the future and your proposed one seems to give the Pirates players in areas of need.
At some point the Pirates will have to give a bit as far as how great the haul is gonna be. I don’t see the Dodgers offering Miller or the Jays offering Tiedmann so maybe they might want to think about a couple of mid level pitching prospects and a top position player. Looking at the Yankees I was thinking maybe Yoendrys Gomez, Drew Thorpe, and Peraza for Reynolds. The Yankees have some good SS prospects I think they can let go of one of them not named Volpe. Cruz is much too big to be a SS he’s gonna have to move to third or first.
They just need to hold him another year. Teams will gladly pay the prospect cost for a year and a half or 2 years of control. Paying for 4 or 3 years is too much for most or so far all teams.
The thing is Mystery, they don’t have to give in. They don’t have to trade him at all, especially for the hypothetically bad deals mentioned here.
To the Dodgers for Chris Taylor, Pepiot and Grove.
Well the Yankees can now include Ryan Weber in the deal.
The Pirates aren’t trading Reynolds for anything short of an overpay of prospects and they don’t need to. Reynolds is going to take a similar return that Varsho got. If the Pirates aren’t blown away on a return then they probably wait until the trade deadline see if any contender has a need then pounce on an overpay trade.
It’s important for Yankee fans to remember there are plenty of other teams that would want Reynolds too so even if you think your trade proposal is fair there is a pretty good chance some other team will easily beat your “fair” trade proposal.
With an exception or two here on MLBTR, we Yankees fans understand the returns on trades. Of course Pittsburgh wants an overpay and can and should hold out for it. But we have as much right to armchair GM as any other fan base. And it will mean as much any other fan base as well. If you see a Yankees fan making a stupid trade proposal, by all means call them on it. But don’t lump an entire fan base together. We all don’t know each other, we all don’t agree with each other.
Joe- I can only speak for myself but every team has knowledgeable fans,good and bad posters,and trolls.
I do not comment on almost all trade proposals because I do not know much of anything about young minor league prospects,I see many proposed trades that do not make sense but I do not comment on them because there would be no point to do so.
Many posters are on here to make trade proposals and I say to each their own.
A problem can exist though between large market and small market teams fans when the large market team fans come across as condescending.The small market fans take that personally.Sayings like”And throw Bednar into the deal”,or calling the Pirates a minor league team tends to raise our shackles.It is just as bad when Pirates fans,for example,say Yankee fans are arrogant,which implies that all are.In reality,most posters on here follow Rodney King’s words,”Can’t we all just get along”.Those are the posters that I enjoy dealing with.
No need for a over pay. A fair return and it’s a done deal.
Bruin10124 hours ago
The Pirates aren’t trading Reynolds for anything short of an overpay of prospects and they don’t need to.
===========================
That’s often the death knell for player value. Detroit with Boyd, Castellanos, JD & Fulmer, KC with Merrifield, BA with Machado and half-dozen others The Rockies with Story, Gray, etc.
I don’t see Reynolds value being any higher than it is today.
Joe-Reynolds’highest value for any team is with the Pittsburgh Pirates as their best player whether he wants to be or not.
It will still be plenty high in a year and a half,just not as much regarding trade value as today.
And what happens if he does improve?
BC is correct in standing pat unless overwhelmed.
I will probably not tell you that in a year and a half.
The Pirates have had too many AAAA and AAA players on their team in the last three and one half years so they want to keep any all stars that they have for as long as they can.
What about Austin Wells, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, and Clayton Beeter?
Wells is the Yankees’ #4 prospect, a lefty bat who rakes at the plate, is currently a C but profiles as a future 1B/LF, and is ranked #82 overall in MLB’s Top 100. He’s slated to potentially debut this coming season.
Clarke Schmidt is a former high-rated prospect who would’ve been drafted potentially top 10 had he not been hurt at the time, had strong stats in his first full year of major league action, and could be a starter for a team like the Pirates.
Luis Gil was electric in his MLB debut last year with nasty stuff, but is currently recovering from TJ surgery. He does have a bit of a BB problem though.
Clayton Beeter came from the Dodgers in the Joey Gallo trade and showcased his stuff in AA. He looks like a future workhorse and has good numbers. He’s the team’s #9 prospect.
That’s a quantity over quality deal and who knows maybe the Pirates like those guys but those players are fillers in a Reynolds trade imo. I don’t think a Cherington led team is going to trade him for anything less then a haul fronted by a high end prospect.
I know. I’m not holding out hope that a deal gets done because the Pirates want too much. There’s still a sliver of hope though.
My guess is that Cashman will look to either the Diamondbacks or the Twins.
Or to KC.
A three team deal is always possible with Yankees for their position player elites, then ship them to another team for excellent starting pitcher. If Yankees want Reynolds, they must get creative.
Cashman’s challenge will be to find a trade that will improve the Yankees for the immediate season.. If he is unable to acquire a proven talent, like Reynolds, to supplement his ball club, one of his competitors almost certainly will. The Yankees have a serious deficiency to challenge for a World Series title, and that deficiency is left field. They are playing for a championship in 2023, not 2024 and beyond. He needs to not repeat the mistake of 2018 (Gerritt Cole prospect overvalue) and watch another team win with Bryan Reynolds in the World Series. Cashman needs to make this trade happen regardless of the cost in prospects.
Not necessarily. The Yankees will be in worse shape by having to play IKF at SS than having to rely on Cabrera at LF. If the Yankees have to part with Dominguez then so be it but Peraza is most likely the opening day SS and Reynolds isn’t worth trading Volpe.
Facts, Joe.
The Yankees do not have the high level prospects required to make this trade with the Pirates, but still have a pronounced need for a major league outfielder in left. In spite of having few top level prospects , our minor league system is devoid of the talent needed to make this/any trade for top major league talent. If Cashman can find a way to fill this void in our outfield with the prospects at hand, he should do it- Reynolds is worth the risk. It’s been too long (13 years) since our last world Series appearance.
Devoid of talent? ROFL. Have you even looked at our farm system lately? It is stacked– but with position players and not pitchers. We have four in the Top 100.
The quality of our prospects is just fine. The fact is that Pittsburgh wants blue chip pitchers instead.
They are playing for a championship in 2023, not 2024 and beyond.
=========================
As a RS, I am hoping that is true. But I am realistic enough to know the Yankees expect to be competitive in 2024.
You’re a lot like the RS. I love Mayer & Yorke, but those are exactly the guys PT will be looking for. I’ll deal some other good, but not great prospects, but PT won’t want them.
The Pirates have what the Yankees need desperately and not the other way around. Our options are currently very limited. Cashman can either overpay for the very talented Bryan Reynolds, and solve a pronounced need in 2023,, or he can “just let it ride” with what we have.. To my way of thinking, we need to be willing to take the risk- bring Bryan Reynolds to New York!!
The Yankees have four prospects in the Top 100. Fangraphs ranks the Yankee farm #14 and MLB Pipeline ranks it #12. They have plenty of trade chips.
But Cherington acts like Reynolds is Mike Trout. I hope Cashman hangs up on him.
Statcast ranked Reynolds among the worst outfield defenders in Outs Above Average. Normally, he’s been well rated, but I have to wonder what happened to him in 2022.
I’d rather get one of the best in Max Kepler for a more reasonable price and have arguably the best defensive outfield in baseball.
pirates ready or near ready ML players who can move the needle. they also need to avoid muddying the waters and more of a 40 man crunch they have now.
Leftfield is a sub par position in the mlb right now, A platoon of Cabrera and Hicks should give Yanks a 3WAR in LF, which shoud be good enough, i think they add another outfielder, and stand pat until the deadline. I wouldn’t over pay for Reynolds.
I know the Marlins are looking for outfield help and the Pirates want potential frontline starters. I’m sure that Marlins fans wouldn’t like it but a Reynolds for Perez makes sense from both sides especially if the Marlins can lock Reynolds up.
Odds are better than not that the Marlins won’t lock up Reynolds either.
what if he is is the next Sixto Sanchez?
If the Giants trade for Reynolds back, then the Pirates would have fleeced them twice, for the same player
I personally think Pittsburgh is looking at Miami as well, not only do they have the pitching prospects, but Miami has been reported to have interest in Reynolds for awhile now. Lastly, I don’t get the hate on here regarding potential trades. Relax.
Reading through here makes me laugh about how much Yankees fans overvalue what they have. No matter what the Pirates have, German is a #5 or swing starter and Schmidt isn’t all that good. They have no need for Torres. They’re complimentary pieces at best in a Reynolds deal. The Pirates aren’t going to trade an all star OF with 3 years of control for a collection of low end starters and middling prospects.
The Pirates won’t deal Reynolds to the Yankees without Dominguez or Volpe in the deal, and they shouldn’t. And itd take 2 or 3 more pieces with either of them. If the Pirates want pitching and the Yankees don’t have it, let the Yankees overpay with hitters or deal him somewhere else.
Mentioned this in another post… Dodgers make a lot of sense. Pirates can take on some of their salary issues to increase incoming talent quality.. Notably Bauer. Yeah PR would be an issue but the Pirates PR is already in the gutter. Could save what 20m(?) if the pirates eat all of it. Possibly Taylor too. If the pirates eat all their salaries then that would get them 29M to throw else where. If the dodgers have mid/higher prices free agents in mind… (bryan is making 6.5 this year)
This would also depend on how much the Dodgers want to stay under the tax threshold and if the dodgers are eyeing any other possible signings that the savings would go to.
Dodgers have some MLB ready pitchers who could probably start and seen some mlb time already.
Assuming pirates eat both of their salaries… Miller, Pepiot, Outman, Bauer, Taylor. for Reynolds and a mid range prospect or two. Lonnie White, Matt Frazier, Jarrod Jones or someone in that range. Pirates check boxes for 2024 with out killing their future payroll. Dodgers get Reynolds and get some prospects back who have a better than fair shot to stick in a 25man if not better. Also massive salary relief in 2023 and also a good amount the next few years. Pirates also have a 2nd round comp pick that could be in the mix.
If the pirates eat no salary then Miller, Outman and someone like Kopp Straight up for Reynolds. A high rank but not elite Pitching prospect, a Quality OF prospect both with the potential of breaking through out of spring with more playing time options in Pittsburgh. Also another that has a fair chance to see some quality MLB time farther down the road.
Anything near I think would satisfy Ben’s higher asking price while not being totally unreasonable.
Of course Bauer is a wild card good pitcher, good work ethic. Chemistry may take a hit and non-baseball situations may arise. Honestly I’d be okay with taken the trade and the first real issue that comes up… just release him.
I received some enlightenment from my friend @ YourDreamGM this week that burst my bubble of thought that had me thinking that quite simply, you had a Mr.Potter-like owner and a management structure that resembled the Three Stooges
But I do believe that the Pirates are trying to emulate TB and Cleveland, as they build a well stocked minor league farm system, develop talent, compete, control players, wave goodbye to those who are beyond control and re-load
As Dream explained, it’s all dependent of scouting, drafting and accumulating young talent, something the last GM failed at miserably in his last few years
To be truthful, it’s the only explanation that makes sense of what we’ve seen the past 2-3 years
That said, I have no idea why or how a Bauer would fit into this franchise. And after the Vasquez debacle, bringing in a player with this baggage is almost unbelievable
If the Pirates move Reynolds—and I actually hope they do—it’ll be for prospects that fit the narrative
The Dodgers have always been unwilling to put top prospects into packages with Pittsburgh—I don’t even think Cruz was a top 10 guy—and the Yankees, even less so
It’s going to be interesting. I’ll say that
Bauer wouldn’t really fit other than a cash dump by the dodgers and may want to get away from the baggage he represents. He possibly could be a trade target for a desperate team at the deadline, of course that assumes he does well. Bauer would also increase the prospect quality.
If the prospect quality is good enough taking on his salary is worth it. clearly the baggage is what hurts Pittsburgh but then again they could just release him with out killing future payroll.
Bauer even with his baggage he has a work out that could benefit the team just by watching.
So yeah it all comes down to the prospect quality. Really if Bauer is a good boy his pitching might put the pirates over the top of getting close to 500 if he stays with the team the full season.
So if the Dodgers are looking to get rid of him and his salary the pirates would be a fit.
Cruz is a horrible example. Cruz was traded for a rental reliever. Dodgers had no business giving up a top prospect to begin with. Cruz was a high ceiling low floor prospect who had no sample size when traded.
Reynolds is an established MLB player with control. The return will be much much greater.
*strike that. Cruz’s sample size was larger than i thought for an man of his age it was pretty big.
Granted, Bauer has been off for some time but even so, he doesn’t fit the profile of the reclamation project that the Pirates like to sign in the off season, watch as he eats innings and finds some success, and then flip at deadline time. And yes, the price tag would be too much unless LA was willing to eat a lot of it
Still, the baggage makes it untenable
Cruz was brought up only as an example of how the Dodgers tend to operate. Countless times over the past decade or more, they’ve emerged as suitors for a Pirate who may be traded and in time, we learn they were offering mid-level prospects who certainly aren’t on their radar as being big leaguers some day
Someone here said that the Pirates only have themselves to blame, as all too often, they’ve accepted low ball offers
I actually think that time has passed
Which is why the pirates make some sense with Bauer. Pirates PR is horrible already. Really cannot get much worse if the prospect quality makes up for it baseball wise, it will be forgotten in 2024. All that said… a Bauer trade makes for too many moving pieces that trade would probably be rough all around to make it happen. But if the Dodgers put it on the table I wouldn’t outright refuse it.
we have a new GM. So far things are working out better than before so far. Really haven’t had a lot to complain about. Most of the moves are logical and pretty fair. I trust Ben’s judgement way more than NH in his later years. I do think Ben is over rated but he is still a vast improvement
Joew, the reason Bauer makes zero sense is a) he’s a free agent after this year, b) the Pirates are not going to contend in 2023, and c) even if he pitches well, his baggage makes him an unattractive trade chip. Then factor in the outsized contract, and the Dodgers would need to include a huge package of prospects…and even then $$ matters so much to the Pirates, I don’t think they’d do it.. .
I DO think Bauer can be moved, though not easily….Baltimore or Anaheim are potential teams that might see Bauer as a cheap (acquisition-wise) solution that helps put them over the top (the PR hit in Anaheim could be absorbed by the “old” Moreno administration). Ultimately though, I bet the Dodgers decide to just eat the $ and take the hit.
I actually thought it made sense for the Reds to swap the DFA’d Moustakas for Bauer, since they’re familiar with Trevor, they’re already eating Moose’s contract, and if they can get a prospect or two as sweetener, they might take on $10 mil in salary (they can look at it as Trevor Bauer replacing Mike Minor).
Devlsh;
II don’t know how any MLB team can take on Trevor Bauer without alienating a good percentage of their fans.
And then there’s his salary.
In a chat the other day Mark wrote that it appears Bauer will be released by the Dodgers. That sounds right.
@Devish
A: that’s a positive for the pirates.
B: Which means if he plays or not, doesn’t really matter in the end.
C: if he does pitch well and a team is desperate great, of load him for a bag of peanuts because you never really wanted him anyway, the prospects are what you wanted and eating his salary got you those prospects.
What i find interesting is the Reds proposal is any better. It is likely easier to pull off but i wouldn’t say better. Dodgers receive nothing except for a bit of salary relief. If they’re trading Moose’s 2023 18M for Bauers 20ishM then the reds would need to eat quite a bit of Moose’s 2023 and probably the buy out to get anything at all out of the deal. and if they do they’re on the hook for Bauer and much of Moose’s contract.. In the end the Reds would basically get a 1y/30m Pitcher to fight with the pirates for last place in the central and and maybe a halfway decent prospect or two depending on how much they eat.
It would make sense for the dodgers if their only goal is to drop salary and baggage and not care about the return.
@Samuel
If they can off load him in a package they would be better off to get some of his salary off the books for 2023. Which is why I say if they can bundle him in a trade to free up his salary even if it does mean they give up ‘a little’ extra talent they should… well unless they don’t care about crossing the tax threshold again in which case…. never mind lol.
@Both I don’t really think It is going to happen, just theory crafting with an out of the box idea and how it can make some sense.
IMO: Bauer Is not the target teams would want from the dodgers, but could be something teams would be willing to take on to get a better return That’s were it almost makes sense for a team like the pirates who could already be trading notes on a deal for Reynolds.
One way or another, I don’t think Bauer will pitch in the Dodgers uniform again and I’d give it a 60/40 chance that he won’t pitch in the MLB again.
That is terrible why would they eat all that payroll an give decent prospects Reynolds will get a good package without out all that I get it your a dodger fan but come on atleast be realistic
@edward Just theory crafting for fun, the stars aligned to make this sort of thought not totally out of the realm only mostly 🙂
the pirates are one of the teams that can afford it. Dodgers want to drop salary and might be able to go from a good package to a great package.