How a Bryan Reynolds position change could positively impact the Pirates

Arguably the best player on the Pittsburgh Pirates is Bryan Reynolds, who has been an outfielder his entire professional career. Late in the 2024 season, Reynolds began taking practice reps at first base, a brand new position to him. He has yet to appear in a game at first base, but this is definitely something to watch during the offseason and into spring training.

Reynold's moving to first base is not a bad idea, as his defense in the outfield has not been his strong suit recently. On top of that, the position of first base has been a weakness for Pittsburgh in recent years. With those thoughts in mind, let's analyze how this position change could positively impact the Pirates.

How could moving Bryan Reynolds to first base help the Pirates?

The positional move is necessary for the Pirates, as Reynolds is one of the worst defensive left fielders in the entire league. His fielding run value is -13 and his outs above average sits at -12, which both rank in the first percentile. That is the complete bottom of the league, and with an inexperienced center fielder alongside him in Oneil Cruz, the team needs consistent defense from their corner outfielders.

If Reynolds does go to first base, a spot opens up for the Pirates to try to upgrade their outfield defensively and offensively. The first base free agent market is not great, but outfield is much better, with more quality options in Pittsburgh's budget. To maximize the positive impact of this change, the Pirates would need to sign a corner outfield like Tyler O'Neill or Michael Conforto. This greatly improves the roster as a whole, offensively and defensively (though both players' OAA sit at -4, their arm strength rankings sit in the top 20% of the league).

Reynolds slotting in at first base also adds versatility to the team. It was difficult to move guys around when Rowdy Tellez and Andrew McCutchen were both on the active roster; that roster construction did not leave a lot of room for utility players. This change would remove the unversatile platoon between Tellez and Connor Joe, which would help Pittsburgh out a lot. This can help put productive young players like Nick Yorke and Billy Cook in positions to succeed.

Overall, a Bryan Reynolds position change to first base makes a lot of sense for the Pirates. It opens the door to better offensive upgrades, more versatility with their bench, and removes a poor glove from the outfield. This big time decision could greatly impact the odds of the Pirates returning to the postseason in 2025.