Bryan Reynolds may be the best player on the Pittsburgh Pirates right now, but the current conversation isn’t so much about his play on the field, but his contract status.
After requesting a trade in the offseason, nothing has really changed now that we are in camp. Both sides seems entrenched in entering the season in the current situation.
For the Pirates, an extension would mean reaching deep into their pockets and signing a player to what would end up being a franchise record deal for the second consecutive offseason. It would lock up another potential core piece for the future.
The whole situation has been fascinating (and to be honest, exhausting) to watch play out.
Obviously the Pirates have a certain reputation when it comes to contracts and star players that this whole thing is kind of playing into. With the current economics of baseball, and a slew of prospects ready to come up, committing to someone whose contract would take them into their mid-30s isn’t something you usually see out of small market teams.
A recent article on Fangraphs on Reynolds speaks a little to just why there is always some hesitation. Trying to forecast his future production using ZiPS projections, and there is a pretty clear down spiral in his on the field performance.
He goes from having an 123 OPS+, all the way down to league average by 2029, and just about every statistical category drops in that time.
The main reason? He will be 30-years-old by time he hits free agency, so it’s projecting a natural dip in performance in his post-prime years.
On the flip side of things, the Pirates are obviously starting to shift things into more of a win-now approach after signing or trading for multiple veterans during the offseason.
It would be a weird turn to trade your best player, more than likely for more prospects, and potentially set the team back yet another season.
So, what’s the answer? There may not actually be a correct one at this point. There will come a time where the team needs to really show they are committed to putting together a winning team, and keeping them.
But is Reynolds that guy you break the bank with? And if not him, then who? It’s hard to argue against signing a proven All-Star, who’s been among the best outfielders in baseball the last couple of years — especially at some of the terms that have been reported.
Pirates Prospects Daily
By Tim Williams
**The latest Pirates DVR looks at a Bryan Reynolds live BP against Mitch Keller, a Roansy Contreras bullpen, and looks at Oneil Cruz and Dylan Crews.
**Ethan Hullihen has his latest Pirates Business column, looking into the topic of service time manipulaton.
**What kind of impact will Endy Rodriguez make in 2023? Anthony breaks down the expectations.
**Yerry De Los Santos has a sinker/slider combo that plays well off each other. I’m not sure if he makes the Opening Day bullpen, but I do think he ends the season as one of the better relievers on the team.
**Missed yesterday? Anthony wrote about the first full team workout.
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