Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Bryan Reynolds

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Athletics Move, Twins Rotation, Reynolds Extension

By | at

Episode 4 of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Simon Hampton is joined by Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press to discuss:

  • Oakland’s move to Las Vegas took a big step forward, so Betsy, who covered baseball for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, tells us about Vegas as a baseball city (1:35)
  • The Twins are off to a solid start to the season and Joey Gallo is hitting very well, so is he back? (5:24)
  • Minnesota is set to lose Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle and Kenta Maeda to free agency this winter, so after the Pablo Lopez extension Betsy offers her thoughts on whether or not there’ll be any more rotation extensions for the Twins (7:26)

Plus, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco joins to talk:

  • Bryan Reynolds has agreed to an eight-year, $106.75MM extension with the Pirates – is this a good deal for the team? (15:01)
  • Madison Bumgarner has been designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks and looks headed for free agency; will he find a new team? (24:57)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Pirates Select Cody Bolton, Designate Tyler Heineman

By | at

The Pirates announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Cody Bolton and reinstated outfielder Bryan Reynolds from the bereavement list. In corresponding moves, right-hander Wil Crowe was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 23, with right shoulder discomfort and outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, catcher Tyler Heineman was designated for assignment. Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic has previously reported that Bolton had the locker in the clubhouse that previously was used by Smith-Njigba (Twitter links). Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported Crowe’s IL placement.

Bolton, 25 in June, is now added to a big league roster for the first time in his career. He was selected by the Pirates in the sixth round of the 2017 draft and has been working his way up to the big leagues since then. He posted some really good results in the lower levels, working as a starter at that time, and got some love from prospect evaluators. Baseball America ranked him the #5 prospect in the Bucs’ system in 2020.

Unfortunately, his progress then hit a few snags. He had already missed time with a forearm injury and groin strain before his 2021 season was wiped out entirely by knee surgery. With the pandemic canceling the minors the prior year, that meant he went two whole years without playing in an official game. He returned last year and made 30 Triple-A appearances, 14 of those being starts, tossing 75 2/3 innings in the process. He registered a 3.09 ERA along with a 25.4% strikeout rate, 12.4% walk rate and 40.6% ground ball rate.

This year, it seems he’s been moved to the bullpen more permanently, as all eight of his appearances for Indianapolis were of the relief variety. He has a 2.38 ERA through 11 1/3 innings so far, with his strikeouts jumping to 31.8% and his walks falling to 4.5%. The Pirates will now give him a chance to see if he can carry those kinds of results over to the major leagues.

As for Heineman, 32 in June, he’s a journeyman catcher who has appeared in 85 major league games dating back to the start of the 2019 season, hitting .210/.276/.269 in that time. He’s suited up for the Marlins, Giants, Blue Jays and Pirates in his career. He got into 52 games for the Bucs last year but was non-tendered after the season and re-signed on a minor league deal. He was selected to the roster a few weeks ago when Austin Hedges went on the concussion-related injured list, getting into three games. He was optioned to the minors when Hedges returned and now loses his 40-man spot. The Bucs will have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency since he has a previous career outright.

The Pirates are now fairly thin behind the plate on their roster. Hedges and Jason Delay form the catching duo in the big leagues but the only other backstop on the 40-man is prospect Endy Rodríguez, who was recently placed on the minor league injured list with a forearm strain. Given those facts, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them try to retain Heineman or acquire some other depth.

Pirates Extend Bryan Reynolds

By | at

The Pirates have put an end to the Bryan Reynolds trade/extension saga, announcing on Wednesday that they’ve signed the star outfielder through the 2030 season. The seven-year extension reportedly guarantees Reynolds $100MM in new money on top of the $6.75MM he was already earning in 2023, and it also contains a club option for the 2031 campaign. Reynolds, a CAA client, does not have an opt-out provision but does have a limited six-team no-trade clause. The extension is the largest contract in Pirates franchise history.

Reynolds’ $6.75MM salary for the current season will reportedly remain unchanged, but he’ll now receive a $2MM signing bonus as well. Reynolds will then earn salaries of $10MM in 2024, $12MM in 2025, $14MM in 2026 and $15MM per year from 2027-30. The option is valued at $20MM and contains a $2MM buyout. In all, Reynolds is guaranteed seven years and $100MM on top of the $6.75MM he’d already been earning in 2023. The contract buys out his final two seasons of arbitration and locks in five free-agent seasons with an option for a sixth.

One of two players the Pirates acquired in the trade sending the since re-signed Andrew McCutchen to the Giants, Reynolds hit the ground running with the Bucs in his MLB debut back in 2017, batting .314/.377/.503 with 16 home runs in 546 plate appearances. With the exception of a dreadful showing in a 55-game sample during the shortened 2020 season, Reynolds has continued to hit at a well above-average level. He’s a career .282/.359/.484 hitter in just over 2100 plate appearances, including a .294/.319/.553 start in 2023. By measure of wRC+, he’s been 26% better than a league-average hitter in his career to date.

Moving forward, it seems the Bucs will trot Reynolds out as their primary left fielder, rather than his customary center field. That’s been the case for the majority of the 2023 season, when Reynolds has logged just 35 innings in center compared to 144 innings in left field. Defensive metrics have increasingly soured on Reynolds’ center field work in recent years, and the Pirates have been playing Jack Suwinski and Ji Hwan Bae there more frequently in 2023. The early returns on Reynolds’ glovework have been sharp; he’s posted positive ratings in Defensive Runs Saved (3), Ultimate Zone Rating (0.5) and Outs Above Average (1) during his limited work.

The extension for Reynolds marks the culmination of multiple years of trade rumors and a months-long sequence of extension drama that at one point led the outfielder to request a trade. That trade request was not a steadfast declaration that he wanted out of Pittsburgh — clearly — but rather was borne of the fact that Reynolds was seeking a long-term deal that Pirates ownership then appeared simply unwilling to put forth. Mackey reported in February that the Pirates had made a six-year, $76MM offer to Reynolds prior to that trade request; his camp then sought $50-60MM more.

An agreement on these same financial terms was reportedly reached back in spring training, but there were other hold-ups in the deal. At that point, Reynolds had been pushing for an opt-out clause to be included in the contract. It’s a bit surprising that he’d drop that request without the Pirates coming up on their offer, though the inclusion of some limited no-trade protection perhaps provided some extra incentive for Reynolds. Furthermore, the team’s stunning 16-7 start to the season likely only serves to further Reynolds’ belief that the club is headed in the right direction.

All that said, it’s hard not to like this deal for the Pirates. Reynolds’ prior two-year, $13.5MM deal that bought out his first two arbitration seasons effectively signaled that the Bucs viewed his 2022 and 2023 seasons somewhere in the vicinity of $4.5MM and $9MM, respectively. As a Super Two player, he’d have gone through arbitration twice more, earning a pair of raises in the process. It’s not at all unreasonable to think that Reynolds could’ve topped $13MM in 2024 and $17MM in 2025. His final two arb seasons alone were worth close to $30MM (likely a bit more), meaning the five free-agent years on this contract are being valued at roughly $14MM apiece.

Andrew Benintendi just inked a five-year, $75MM deal in free agency, and while he was two years younger than Reynolds would be by the time he’d have reached the market, Reynolds is a decidedly better hitter. The seven years and $100MM in new money secured by Reynolds on this deal is an exact match for the guaranteed portion of Byron Buxton’s deal with the Twins, but Reynolds doesn’t come with any of the durability concerns that have plagued Buxton throughout his career — nor does his contract contain the roughly $8MM of annual incentives in that Buxton deal. Even Corbin Carroll, who’s repped by the same agency as Reynolds and entered the season with just 32 MLB games under his belt, landed an eight-year, $111MM extension from the D-backs during spring training.

Every player’s motivation is quite different, of course, and Reynolds has made clear in the past that his eventual hope was to land a long-term deal that allowed him to remain in Pittsburgh for the long term. He’s done just that, securing a nine-figure guarantee in the process. The extension doesn’t necessarily stack up with what players of his caliber might expect to earn at this juncture of their careers, but Reynolds was clearly willing to compromise in order to remain with the teammates, coaching staff and city he’s come to view as home.

Market context notwithstanding, Reynolds now firmly joins Ke’Bryan Hayes as a foundational piece for the Pirates. The two are the only players signed to a guaranteed deal beyond the current season, and both are under team control through at least 2030. Hayes’ $70MM extension runs through the 2029 season, and Pittsburgh holds a team option for that 2030 season — the final guaranteed year of Reynolds’ new deal.

Reynolds and Hayes will account for $17MM in guaranteed salary next year and for $23MM as far out as the 2029 season. Even for a perennial payroll cellar-dweller like the Pirates, that should leave them with ample room to supplement the roster — particularly if they’re able to convince some of their up-and-coming young talent to agree to club-friendly deals in the same vein as the current pair of extensions they’ve brokered. Talents such as Oneil Cruz and Roansy Contreras are still quite early in their respective MLB careers, and while both Mitch Keller (three-plus years of MLB service) and David Bednar (two-plus) are further along, both are potential candidates as well. Prospects like Endy Rodriguez, Henry Davis, Quinn Priester and Luis Ortiz could all enter the conversation as they get their feet wet in the Majors as well.

For now, Pirates fans have clear cause to celebrate. The team has sprinted out to a surprising first-place start, and after years of watching the team’s best players inevitably head elsewhere via trade, they can now feel secure that Reynolds will be in black and gold for the foreseeable future.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported the agreement and the terms (Twitter links). Robert Murray of FanSided reported the annual breakdown. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweeted that Reynolds can block trades to six teams.

Looking At Pirates’ Past Trades That Are Starting To Pay Off

By | at

The Pirates are off to an excellent start to begin the 2023 season, currently sporting a record of 16-7 with a run differential of +25. It’s too early to simply assume that they are quite this good, especially since many of their games have come against teams that aren’t expected to be competitive, like the Reds and the Rockies. But after a couple of 100-loss seasons and an even worse winning percentage in the shortened 2020 season, it’s an encouraging development, even if it’s not wholly sustainable.

As with any rebuilding club, the talent on the roster has been acquired in various ways. Some were brought into the organization with high draft picks, like Ke’Bryan Hayes and Mitch Keller. There are former amateur free agents, like Rodolfo Castro and Ji Hwan Bae. There’s also some veterans on modest free agent deals, like Carlos Santana, Rich Hill and Vince Velasquez. But a sizable portion of the roster was acquired via trade, as is often the case with rebuilding clubs, who use the playbook of sending established players away for prospects.

Some of these trades have been on the minor side, bringing in role players like Connor Joe or Mark Mathias. There have also been a few trades that haven’t worked out, such as the Clay Holmes deal, but here are some that have had a significant impact on the current roster. Also, just as a quick side note before launching into this, general manager Neal Huntington was fired in October of 2019. While most of the moves listed below were completed by his successor, Ben Cherington, the credit on the first few goes to the previous regime.

Watson had spent his entire career with the Pirates up until this point, having been drafted by them and making it to the majors by 2011. He had posted consistently solid results, never finishing a season with his ERA above 4.00, even coming in below 2.00 in both 2014 and 2015. In the 2017 season, he was in his final campaign of control before becoming a free agent. The Pirates made the playoffs in three straight years from 2013 to 2015 but fell below .500 in the two subsequent seasons. That made it a fairly logical move to flip an impending free agent reliever who wasn’t going to be a qualifying offer candidate.

German was a relief prospect who never amounted to much, topping out at Double-A in 2019. He reached free agency and signed a minor league deal with the Rays in 2020 but was released before pitching for them. But landing Cruz is in this deal looks like it will work out quite well for the Bucs. He’s currently on the 60-day injured list due to an ankle injury that required surgery, but he could be back around August. There are concerns about his strikeout rates and shortstop defense, but he has some of the best tools in the league, consistently featuring among the leaders in terms of exit velocities, arm strength and sprint speed. His eventual value will be determined by how much he refines the rougher edges in his game, but he clearly has incredible talent and should impact the club in some way. He’s not slated for free agency until after the 2028 campaign.

After two straight disappointing seasons, the Pirates clearly decided to lean in to their rebuild prior to 2018, making two significant trades within a few days of each other. The first one saw them deal Cole, who had two years of control remaining, to Houston. In return, they got four younger players, the most significant of whom was Musgrove. At the time of the trade, there were some questions about whether he was better suited to be a starter or a reliever. The Bucs gave him the chance to prove himself as a capable rotation member, which worked out for both parties. He posted a 4.23 ERA in 325 1/3 innings over three seasons in Pittsburgh, showing enough potential to establish his bona fides as a starter. That gave him enough trade value to get flipped to his hometown Padres, allowing the Pirates to add more young talent, which we will get to below.

As if the Cole trade wasn’t enough of a sign that the rebuild was on, the Pirates took down the Jolly Roger and waved a white flag when they traded McCutchen just two days later. He had been an iconic player for the franchise for many years, helping them return to contention after two decades of losing, earning the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player award in the process. He had signed an extension with the club going into 2012, a deal that ran through 2017 with a club option for 2018. He had fallen off from his MVP heights but the $14.5MM option price was still a bargain, so the Pirates made the easy decision to pick that up instead of paying the $1MM buyout. However, he would eventually play that season in San Francisco.

While the trade of a face-of-the-franchise player like McCutchen was undoubtedly frustrating for the fan base, it’s paying off now. Crick had some decent results at times for the Pirates but was ultimately released in 2021. The real coup of the deal is Reynolds, who has emerged as a new face-of-the-franchise player for Pittsburgh. He’s hit 79 home runs in his career and is currently sitting on a batting line of .282/.359/.484. He’s set for free agency after 2025, which has made him the constant subject of rumors, both the trade and extension variety. To date, both paths are still open, making it unclear if Reynolds will be part of the next playoff club in Pittsburgh or an extra bullet added to the bottom of this list.

The Pirates managed to sneak above .500 in 2018 but had a dismal season after that, going 69-93 in 2019, making it unsurprising that the selloff continued. Marte had previously signed an extension with the Bucs that ran through 2019 but had two affordable option years, meaning he still had a couple of years of control at the time of this trade. But with contention in that time frame seeming unlikely, he was sent to the desert.

Malone is now 22 years old and has yet to climb higher than Class-A in the minors. Injuries and the pandemic have limited him to fewer than 30 professional innings. Peguero in on the 40-man roster and made his MLB debut last year, though he got into just a single game. His prospect rank has faded in recent years, but he was still considered to be among the 10 best in the system as of the start of this season. He’s off to a slow start this year in a small sample of 11 Double-A games, so he’ll have to turn things around to stop his stock from falling further.

As mentioned earlier, Musgrove had established himself as a viable starter, enough to reap a pile of prospects that has already worked out well for the Bucs. Bednar has become one of the better relievers in the game, currently sporting a 2.82 ERA and 31.3% strikeout rate while racking up 30 saves. The fact that he happens to be a Pittsburgh kid is just icing on the cake. He’s yet to reach arbitration and isn’t slated for free agency until the 2026-27 offseason.

There’s still plenty of time for the Bucs to get even more out of this deal as well, as the other four players are still in their system. The most notable of them is Rodríguez, who is on the 40-man roster but hasn’t made it to the majors just yet. The catcher/infielder/outfielder is a versatile player with a potent bat, making him one of the most highly-touted prospects in the sport. He’s considered to be one of the top 50 prospects in the league by each of Baseball America, FanGraphs, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, Keith Law of The Athletic and MLB Pipeline.

Taillon had some good seasons working in the Pittsburgh rotation from 2016 to 2018, but Tommy John surgery wiped out most of his 2019 and all of his 2020. He was set to return to the mound in 2021 when he still had a couple of years of control remaining. Despite the injury uncertainty, the Yankees believed in Taillon enough to acquire those two seasons, sending four prospects to Pittsburgh in exchange.

Yajure is already gone from the organization and Escotto’s prospect stock has fallen off, but the other two players are still on the roster. Most evaluators project Smith-Njigba for a bench/utility role, though he’s still young, turning 24 this coming weekend. Regardless, the most significant player in this batch seems to be Contreras, as he’s already in the club’s rotation. He has a 3.84 ERA through his first 119 2/3 innings in the big leagues and isn’t slated for free agency until after 2028. If he can continue to hold his own against major league hitters, then the Pirates have a rotation building block in place for the foreseeable future.

Frazier was drafted by the Pirates and had spent his entire career with them up until this point, establishing himself as a solid utility option. His bat was roughly around league average, a useful asset for a player who could be plugged in at almost any position on the diamond. He was having a BABIP-backed spike in 2021, hitting .324/.388/.448 when the Pirates sold high, trading him away while he still had a year and a half of control remaining, getting three young players in return.

Miliano is a 23-year-old reliever who’s yet to surpass High-A, so he’s probably the least likely of this group to be a key contributor going forward. Marcano is in the big leagues but is expected to serve a bench/utility role. Suwinski, however, has the chance to be an impactful member of the club. He’s been playing all three outfield spots in the big leagues, seeming to be a passable defender at any of them. He’s also hit 24 home runs in just 122 games thus far. His 30.3% strikeout rate is certainly on the high side, but he’s also drawn walks at a healthy 12% clip. His .209/.310/.440 career batting line to this point in his career translated into a 109 wRC+, and his batted-ball data in 2023’s small sample is particularly interesting (95.2 mph average exit velocity, 56.3% hard-hit rate). He’s not slated for free agency until after the 2028 season.

Vogelbach was a known power threat, having hit 30 home runs with the Mariners in 2019, but he struggled in the next few seasons and bounced to the Blue Jays and Brewers, getting non-tendered by the latter club after the 2021 season. The Pirates signed him to a modest deal worth $1MM plus incentives, watched him get into a groove and flipped him to the Mets after a few months.

Holderman has just 35 major league appearances to this point in his career, but the results are fairly encouraging.  He has a 3.20 ERA with a 49.1% ground ball rate, helping him keep the ball in the park to such a degree that he’s yet to allow a home run. That surely won’t be able to last forever, but he’s working himself into a high-leverage role with the club, having accrued eight holds already in this young season.

Quintana has a long track record of success in the majors but struggled in both 2020 and 2021, getting bumped to the bullpen in both seasons. The Pirates bought low by signing him to a one-year, $2MM deal and giving him a shot to re-establish himself as a starter. It worked, as he registered a 3.50 ERA with the Bucs, allowing them to flip him to the Cardinals for a couple of younger players. Nunez has yet to reach the majors and is struggling in Triple-A right now, but he’s still just 22 years old. Baseball America and FanGraphs both considered him the club’s #21 prospect coming into the season.

Oviedo was initially a starter with the Cards but got bumped to the bullpen last year. The Pirates are giving him another shot at rotation work with good results so far. He has a 2.78 ERA in 11 starts for Pittsburgh between last year and this year, with a 22.4% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 54.8% ground ball rate. Oviedo has more than doubled his curveball usage in 2023, and is throwing the pitch harder than ever before. It’s a small sample, but his swinging-strike rate is up from 11.2% to 14.6%. He’s under club control through 2027.

_____________________________________________

It’s no secret that the Pirates are a low-spending club. Looking at data from Cot’s Baseball Contracts, which goes back to the year 2000, they’ve never even made it to the middle of the pack in terms of payroll. They’ve frequently been at the very bottom of spenders and their highest relative rank was getting to 19th place way back in 2001. For the clubs that keep the purse strings that tight, it’s essential that they succeed in getting the most out of younger players who haven’t yet maximized their earning power.

Since the major league economic system artificially deflates player salaries until they get to six years of service time, it’s important for a club on the stingy side to find good young players, whether it’s those that they draft/sign or those they get from other organizations. As the Pirates appear to be on the verge of being respectable again, or perhaps have already arrived, they seem to be doing just that. As mentioned, they’ve had the occasional clunker, like the Holmes deal, but a decent chunk of the roster was built via trade. Two of their regular outfielders were acquired in trades, as was their everyday shortstop, although he’s on the shelf right now. Their dealing has also given them two of their five rotation members, some of their best relievers, a few utility players and some key prospects.

Pirates Select Drew Maggi

By | at

The Pirates announced today that they have selected the contract of infielder Drew Maggi following the placement of outfielder Bryan Reynolds on the bereavement list. To clear space on the 40-man roster, first baseman Ji Man Choi was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Reynolds has been off to a hot start this season, slashing .294/.319/.553 (125 wRC+) in 22 games this season amid rumors of extension negotiations that have spilled into the season. All that will be put on hold, of course, while Reynolds is away from the team. Players on the bereavement list can miss a minimum of three games and a maximum of seven games, meaning Reynolds can return at the earliest against the Dodgers on April 27 and at the latest against the Rays on May 2.

Choi’s transfer to the 60-day IL comes as little surprise after the Pirates announced that the first baseman would miss about two months with a strained Achilles tendon. Choi, 32 in May, struggled to open his Pirates career prior to the injury, slashing just .125/.125/.344 (16 wRC+) in nine games with 15 strikeouts in just 32 plate appearances. Prior to this season, Choi has long been a solid, consistent bat at the big league level, with a career 114 wRC+ and a 120 wRC+ as a member of the Rays from 2018-2022. Choi was acquired from the Rays by the Pirates ahead of the non-tender deadline this past November in exchange for right-hander Jack Hartman.

Maggi, 34 next month, is a journeyman who has yet to make his major league debut. Drafted by the Pirates in the fifteenth round of the 2010 draft, Maggi has since played in thirteen seasons in the minors for six different organizations, with a .254/.355/.378 slash line in 494 games at the Triple-A level. Maggi has experience at all four infield spots, both outfield corners, and has even pitched two innings during his minor league career. That Maggi is now set to get a big league opportunity after over a decade in the minors is certainly a heartwarming moment, and the Pirates shared a video of him receiving the news this morning.

Latest On Pirates, Bryan Reynolds

By | at

Opening Day came and went without any resolution on the long-running extension talks between Bryan Reynolds and the Pirates. Negotiations reportedly hit a snag when Reynolds’ camp pursued an opt-out chance following the 2026 season. The parties were apparently both amenable to tacking on seven years and $100MM to cover the 2024-30 seasons but didn’t reach a compromise on Reynolds’ desire to be able to test free agency midway through the deal.

The opt-out wasn’t the only issue, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports the Bucs were also resistant to including a no-trade clause. It’s not clear how adamant Reynolds is about receiving at least limited no-trade protection, though that’s perhaps another hurdle the sides will have to clear.

Sorting through the opt-out clause seems a tougher challenge than settling on no-trade rights. The Bucs already control Reynolds via arbitration through the 2025 campaign. A post-2026 opt-out would only ensure Reynolds sticks in Pittsburgh for one additional season. On a contract with guaranteed salaries running through 2030, that provision would give the All-Star outfielder relatively early flexibility to test the market while leaving the team with some extended risk in the event Reynolds suffers and injury or underperforms.

It’s not clear if the Bucs would be amenable to including an opt-out later on in a potential extension. Doing so after 2027, for instance, would ensure the club tacks on at least two more seasons of control. That might not be all that appealing to Reynolds, however. The switch-hitter is already 28 and won’t hit free agency until after his age-30 campaign even if he proceeds through arbitration. A post-2027 opt-out wouldn’t allow him to explore the market before he’s headed into his age-33 season, when the chance for a long-term free agent pact might’ve passed regardless.

Given the challenge of finding an opt-out date that could make mutual sense, Heyman writes the Pirates are open to “(moving) money around” in extension talks. Whether that’s merely restructuring the $100MM offer — which would’ve reportedly been backloaded — to get Reynolds more money up front or involves a boost to the overall guarantee isn’t clear. In any event, it’s apparent the Pirates aren’t closing the door on continued negotiations.

General manager Ben Cherington confirmed as much in a conversation with the Pittsburgh beat earlier in the week (link via Kevin Gorman of the Tribune-Review). “We’ve never had any team policy about (a deadline) on Opening Day,” Cherington said. “Out of respect to players and the team, we try to keep those conversations to the offseason and Spring Training. But if it makes sense for all parties to have a conversation during the season, there’s no policy against that. We’re open to that. … He’s playing well. From his play, it looks like he’s focused on the season. We’re focused on supporting him. If there’s anything more to talk about, we’ll keep that between him and us.”

Reynolds’ camp had reportedly pushed for an extension to be done by Opening Day. It’s not uncommon for teams or players to work beyond self-imposed “deadlines” of that nature if the sides are close enough a deal isn’t far out of reach. (For instance, Manny Machado and the Padres signed his extension a little more than a week after Machado’s initially proposed cutoff in February.)

As Cherington pointed out, Reynolds hasn’t seemed at all fazed by the absence of a Spring Training agreement. He’s off to a .340/.352/.720 start through 54 plate appearances. His five home runs are tied for third in the majors, one behind the six longballs of Pete Alonso and Ryan Mountcastle.

NL Central Notes: Reynolds, Williams, Senzel, Santillan

By | at

Even with three games already in the books on the Pirates’ 2023 season, Bryan Reynolds’ contract status is still the biggest story in Pittsburgh baseball, given the reports from earlier this week suggesting the two sides had made a lot of progress towards an extension.  The deal in question appears to be an eight-year, $106MM pact, yet the sticking point appears to be the Pirates’ reluctance to include an opt-out clause for Reynolds following the 2026 season.

It isn’t clear if anything has changed in talks, as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter links) hears from both sides that, essentially, they “haven’t heard anything” about any further progress.  Mackey notes that GM Ben Cherington didn’t mention anything about Reynolds or the contract talks during his weekly radio show today, though naturally it would’ve been a little surprising to hear an executive make any significant public comment on contract negotiations that (apparently) are still ongoing.  Opening Day was reportedly viewed as a deadline to get an extension finalized, and while that deadline was completely unofficial, it begs the question or whether or not Reynolds and the Bucs can solve the impasse soon or if the matter might be tabled until the offseason…..or, if Reynolds might be traded elsewhere before the deadline.

More NL Central items….

  • Devin Williams was hit in the arm by a Dansby Swanson line drive during the ninth inning of yesterday’s game, though Williams remained on the mound to close out the Brewers’ 3-1 win over the Cubs.  Williams told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters that the liner “glanced off” his right elbow and “it didn’t feel too good,” leading to a bit of lingering soreness today.  While the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, Williams and manager Craig Counsell said that the reliever’s availability for today’s game wouldn’t be known until Williams did some pregame warmups. [UPDATE: Williams didn’t pitch in Milwaukee’s 9-5 win over Chicago, but Counsell said the reliever was available if called upon.]
  • Nick Senzel and Tony Santillan are slated to begin rehab assignments at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer).  Both were hampered by injuries that pushed back their Spring Training work, as Senzel underwent toe surgery during the offseason and Santillan was still recovering from a lower back issue that plagued him during the 2022 campaign.  Barring any setbacks, however, Senzel and Santillan appear to be on pace to join the Reds by around the middle of April, with Senzel perhaps moving into a utility role and Santillan stepping back into Cincinnati’s bullpen.

Still No Agreement Between Pirates And Bryan Reynolds Due To Opt-Out Clause

By | at

March 31, 2:05pm: Reynolds was looking for an opt-out after 2026, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Reynolds is currently slated for free agency after 2025, so the Pirates would only gain one extra year of control in the event they agreed to that contract and he eventually opted out.

March 31, 1:35pm: Some more details on the negotiations come from Mackey (Twitter links one, two and three). He says that the eight-year, $106MM deal being discussed includes 2023 and that Reynolds is willing to backload the deal so that triggering his opt-out means walking away from the biggest salaries.

March 31, 12:40pm: The conceptual issue is indeed an opt-out clause, reports Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. He adds that the two sides have come to an agreement around $106MM on the guarantee, roughly the middle point between the previous asking prices, but that Reynolds and his reps want an opt-out that the Pirates appear unwilling to give thus far.

March 30: The Pirates and outfielder Bryan Reynolds have been discussing a contract extension in recent days, with today’s opener reportedly considered a cutoff point. The season has now begun and it appears that there’s still no deal in place, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post, who adds that the two sides have an agreement on dollars but a “major conceptual issue” is getting in the way.

To this point, it’s unclear what this conceptual issue is. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms Heyman’s report (Twitter links) and adds that the hangup is not “years/dollars or size of the thing.” If it’s not the length or the guarantee, it could be something like an opt-out or a no-trade clause, though that’s merely speculation.

Regardless of what the issue is, the fact that the two sides got closer on the money is encouraging. Discussions earlier this winter reportedly had the Pirates offering something in the $75-80MM range over six years while Reynolds’ camp was aiming for $134MM over eight years. The two sides were so far apart that Reynolds requested a trade. The Pirates appeared generally unmoved by that request and seemingly had no desire to drop their sky-high asking price. It’s a somewhat positive sign that the talks have been fruitful enough that a deal seems close, though it hasn’t yet gotten over the line.

It has been reported in recent days that the Opening Day game is something of a deadline for negotiations. The Pirates have now started their first game of the season and it seems a deal still isn’t in place. However, Mackey reports that both sides still view it as being possible.

Whether or not a deal comes together in the coming days or weeks remains to be seen. If the talks eventually end without a new deal, there’s nothing preventing further talks from starting down the road, though players often like to use Opening Day as a point to focus less on contractual matters and more on their on-field duties. Reynolds will be making $6.75MM this year as part of a two-year deal to avoid arbitration he signed going into 2022. The Pirates can still retain his services via arbitration for 2024 and 2025, with Reynolds currently slated for free agency after that. He’s coming into this season with a career batting line of .281/.361/.481 for a wRC+ of 126.

Pirates, Bryan Reynolds Continue To Discuss Extension; Start Of Regular Season Reportedly Seen As Deadline

By | at

The Pirates and star outfielder Bryan Reynolds remain engaged in discussion talks, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link) and Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter). Both Heyman and Mackey suggest that tomorrow appears to be the deadline for an agreement, with Mackey indicating the 4:10pm EST first pitch of the club’s game in Cincinnati would be the cutoff point.

Whether a deal can come together remains to be seen. Mackey reports that both team and player have budged on their previous dollar figures, closing the gap and offering some optimism. Yet Robert Murray of FanSided cautions that “major hurdles” still have to be jumped, suggesting there remains a relatively significant split for the sides to sort out.

The Reynolds saga has taken a number of twists and turns throughout the offseason. Extension talks stalled at the beginning of the winter. The Pirates had reportedly offered somewhere in the $75-80MM range over six seasons, while his camp had reportedly countered at eight years and $134MM. The switch-hitting outfielder then requested a trade, which the Pirates showed no inclination to grant. While Reynolds never publicly disavowed the trade request, he softened his stance this spring and expressed a willingness to reengage with Pittsburgh on the extension front.

Reynolds is set to make $6.75MM this season after avoiding arbitration on a two-year pact last May. He’ll be eligible for the arbitration process twice more after this season barring an extension. He’s slated to hit free agency after the 2025 campaign, when he’d be entering his age-31 season.

If no deal comes together, Reynolds would almost assuredly find himself back in trade rumors over the summer. Pittsburgh again seems a long shot to compete for a playoff spot this year. If Reynolds is hitting at anything like the .262/.345/.461 level he managed last season, he’d be one of the more coveted trade candidates closer to the deadline. The Bucs will hope to avoid that situation by hammering out a new contract within the next 16 hours.

Pirates Have Continued Interest In Extending Bryan Reynolds

By | at

The Pirates are making a renewed effort to work out a long-term deal with Bryan Reynolds, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link). According to Heyman, the club would prefer to have an agreement in place by Opening Day, though it’s unclear how likely that is.

Reynolds addressed the situation briefly this afternoon, saying there wasn’t any major development on the extension front (via Justice delos Santos of MLB.com). The two-time All-Star indicated he shares a desire to not have talks linger into the regular season.

Whether the Pirates would extend or trade Reynolds has been a question for quite some time. He’s come up in offseason and deadline trade rumors for over a year. Pittsburgh has held firm on a huge ask in discussions with other teams but hasn’t seemed to make much progress about keeping him past their allotted window of arbitration control, which runs through 2025. There appeared to be a tipping point in early December. Extension discussions stalled and Reynolds requested a trade around the Winter Meetings.

Pittsburgh brass reiterated they weren’t planning to lower their trade price in response to Reynolds’ wish to move. They ended up him holding him throughout the offseason — without any public indication they came particularly close to a deal — and the switch-hitting outfielder walked things back as camp approached. In mid-February, he told reporters he was still open to extension talks, saying he’d “been pretty open the past few years that (his) No. 1 choice would be to sign an extension in Pittsburgh.”

While it doesn’t seem there’s been any substantive movement, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the sides’ relationship has generally improved over the past couple months. Mackey suggests there’s at least some optimism among those involved that a deal could come together, though it’ll obviously depend on the extent to which the parties budge on financials.

Previous reports have suggested the Pirates offered a six-year deal that’d guarantee somewhere in the $75-80MM range. Meanwhile, Mackey writes that Reynolds’ camp had sought an eight-year deal worth $134MM. That leaves a gap in the $50-60MM vicinity to bridge. A six-year deal would run through Reynolds’ age-33 season, assuming it overwrote the $6.75MM salary he’s presently set to receive. An eight-year pact would take him through age 35.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top