Bryan Reynolds wants to stay.
Can’t help but think this recent hot streak has something to do with the fact he wasn’t traded at the deadline. Reynolds was 8 of 19 coming into the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks post-deadline.
It had been almost a month since he last collected a hit with an injury and birth of a child also in the mix over that time.
Could Reynolds become what the city of Pittsburgh had wished Andrew McCutchen would’ve become? Sign a long-term deal with the intentions of retiring a Pirate? The addition of the DH in the NL now makes it even more plausible. I do still think you need to have that conversation about moving him to a different spot in the OF near-term if the discussion is about putting the best possible lineup on the field in all facets.
The Joe Musgrove deal has been recently discussed in the comments as a star player cutting a deal to stay in a city he wants to be in. Bryan Reynolds has made it be known he wants to stay. Could Ben Cherington actually use this off-season to cut such a deal? Maybe this will be the moment they finally show the urgency that Ben spoke about in his press conference.
Ben Cherington locked up Ke’Bryan Hayes long term at the beginning of the 2021 season. The two year deal with Reynolds — that didn’t buy out any free agent years — could be the beginning of signing a long term deal that works for everyone.
Pirates @ Diamondbacks
Time: 9:40 PM EST
Pirates Starter: Zach Thompson (3-8, 5.15)
Diamondbacks Starter: Tommy Henry (0-1, 7.20)
Thompson Notes: Zach Thompson has been going through a rough patch lately. In his last three starts he’s given up 17 earned runs across 15.1 IP. Thompson’s most used pitch this season is his cutter (36.5% per Baseball Savant). It was a very effective pitch in 2021 with batters only slugging .284 against the pitch. So far in 2022 batters are slugging .579 against his cutter.
LINEUPS:
Pirates
Thompson on the mound tonight.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/MyFbBPxZQW
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 9, 2022
Diamondbacks
1. Josh Rojas (L) 3B
2. Alek Thomas (L) CF
3. Ketel Marte (S) 2B
4. Christian Walker (R) 1B
5. Daulton Varsho (L) RF
6. Jake McCarthy (L) LF
7. Seth Beer (L) DH
8. Carson Kelly (R) C
9. Geraldo Perdomo (S) SS
