The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a two-year deal with outfielder Bryan Reynolds, which avoids the arbitration hearing between the two sides. The agreement was reported by Jeff Passan.
Center fielder Bryan Reynolds and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement on a two-year contract to avoid arbitration, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. Reynolds, 27, is Super 2 eligible and thus won’t reach free agency until after the 2025 season. Deal covers 2022-23.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 14, 2022
This doesn’t really do much to keep Reynolds in the long-term, as Reynolds is under control for two additional years beyond 2022-23. This will provide cost certainty for those seasons. The Pirates will have Reynolds eligible for arbitration again heading into 2024, and I’m sure there will be plenty of trade speculation persisting with no long-term deal in place.
The positive here is that the Pirates can avoid any embarrassing arbitration hearings with Reynolds over small differences in salary, and don’t have to go through the process again next year. Ideally, by the end of this deal, the decision will be clear on whether to trade him or extend him. This deal could even be a small stepping stone toward an extension by locking up the first two years.
UPDATE 11:18 AM: Reynolds will receive $13.5 million over two years, with $6.75 million each season. That’s a slight bump in payroll this year, as his arbitration figure would have been under $5 million, regardless of which side won.
Reynolds’s deal is worth $6.75M in 2022 and $6.75M in 2023, per source.
— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) April 14, 2022
