Pirates fans will riot if latest trade rumor comes to fruition

Despite the hot streak the Pirates are on, they still remain locked into selling this season. Their rentals are expected to go this July, and now there's also some moderatesteam picking up on some of the players signed beyond this season. The latest rumor in the Pirates' space involves Bryan Reynolds, and if it comes to life, it may send this fanbase crazy.

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal stated in an article for The Athletic that the Kansas City Royals are showing interest in Reynolds. The Royals are 40-47 right now and are actually behind Pittsburgh in runs scored. They still remain in the Wild Card hunt, and now they want to bolster their chances by snagging a big bat at the deadline.

Although Reynolds has gotten to a slow start, dealing him would make this fanbase go nuts. Their lack of spending has resulted in a poor offense and, all of a sudden, their highest paid bat may get dealt for prospects? Reynolds is still among the more consistent bats in this lineup, hovering close to a .700 OPS this season with a 90 wRC+. These numbers have come a long way; in April, his OPS dropped below .600 and his wRC+ fell beneath 50.

Pirates star outfielder Bryan Reynolds is reportedly generating interest from the Royals ahead of MLB Trade Deadline.

For the Pirates to deal a guy like Reynolds, they would have to get blown away by an offer from Kansas City, a team whose farm system doesn't include what the Pirates would be after, as only one of their top prospects is close to being major league ready (catcher Carter Jensen). The Pirates are really after offensive support, and it's hard to see a match with a team that scores even less than Pittsburgh.

Over these past few years, it has made sense for Reynolds to be the player this offense is built around. He has made it to two All-Star Games, and is playing in his seventh season in Pittsburgh. They even extended him to the the biggest contract in franchise history; to just deal him away now does not make much sense at all.

This rumor likely doesn't mean much, but it is significant leading up to the deadline, which is less than a month away. Teams are going to get really aggressive for deals soon. The Pirates must not mess this up and trade away Reynolds now, especially to a team with a weak farm system like the Royals.