Pittsburgh Pirates: Examining What Could Be Next With Bryan Reynolds

With Bryan Reynolds requesting a trade, the worst thing the Pittsburgh Pirates can do would be to sit on their hands and do nothing

Bryan Reynolds has requested to be traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, soon after the news broke, the Pirates stated that their position on him in terms of trading him hadn’t changed. They still believe he will be part of the team next year, and it seems nothing less than an absolute overpay will reverse their decision on that.

But it’s not as if Reynolds said he wants out in his walk year. Reynolds has team control through 2025. With Reynolds’ statement out there and the Pirate statement out there, where do the two parties go from here?

Well, Reynolds can’t really do much until he either hits free agency or is traded. Reynolds is coming off a quality season in which he had a .807 OPS, .349 wOBA, and 125 wRC+. He got off to a slow start to the year but quickly figured things out by the time May rolled around.

If the Pittsburgh Pirates do change their minds about trading Reynolds, there should be a sufficient amount of interest. He’s likely the most valuable player and highest-profile name the Pirates have traded since Aramis Ramirez.

On the Pirate end, this is something they need to figure out. There are a few routes the Pirates should take. The first is to trade him outright. It’s a hard pill to swallow and something nobody, including me, wants to see. But if you get another proven major league player and some other near-MLB-ready top 100 prospects, it’s something that of course, isn’t off the table.

The second option is to give Reynolds what he wants. The Pirates have never handed out a deal worth over $100 million, and if they were to hand it out to any player, Reynolds is one of the few guys on the current roster worth it. The only other one is Oneil Cruz. If the Pirates meet Reynolds’ demands or come close enough to where he’s willing to accept a long-term contract, then the issues solve themselves.

The third option is to make the best of the three years and hope Reynolds’ attitude toward the organization changes. Like any Pirate fan, it would be fun to see them pull out all the stops, give Endy Rodriguez the big league promotion on Opening Day, sign Jose Quintana, and, hopefully, a few bullpen arms. Is it likely? No, but it would be the best option that the Pirates have that doesn’t involve extending Reynolds.

The worst possible thing the Pittsburgh Pirates could do is to move on like business as usual. This is something that needs to be taken care of within the next year at the most and this offseason at the earliest. They can’t let this become a long, drawn-out issue. The Pirates need to act on this, whether it’s trading Reynolds, giving him an extension he will sign, or going for it with the three years they have left with him and giving him a chance to win that he wants.