The expectation around the league is that Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds will be traded before the start of the season.
He has three seasons of team control remaining, and with each passing month, he loses value as he gets closer to free agency.
The perfect moment to trade him is now: he has experience, youth (27), is affordable, and can be had for three full years before reaching free agency.
The New York Yankees, the Seattle Mariners, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are some of the interested teams.
If a deal hasn’t come to fruition at this point, it is because the Pirates don’t feel any team has met their valuation of the player.
It’s understandable, and actually cool to see: they have been fleeced in the past and want to make sure to receive top talent for their star.
People might not realize how good Reynolds is.
In case you need some information or data to back that up, here you go:
“Since the start of the 2019 season: Only 3 outfielders have hit: 70+ home runs, 90+ doubles, 125 OPS+ or higher. Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper and Bryan Reynolds. Yes, Reynolds is worth every penny your team has to offer,” Kody Duncan, who writes for Pirates blog Rum Bunter, tweeted.
Since the start of the 2019 season:
Only 3 outfielders have hit:
✅70+ home runs
✅90+ doubles
✅125 OPS+ or higher.Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper and Bryan Reynolds.
Yes, Reynolds is worth every penny your team has to offer.
— Kody Duncan (@KodyDuncanPGH) January 5, 2023
That’s right: at least in those categories, Reynolds is in an exclusive group that only has Mookie Betts and Bryce Harper, two of the game’s brightest stars.
Granted, Reynolds is not quite in the same league as those two, but he may be in the tier immediately below that.
He is so good and consistent that he is probably worth a team’s top prospect and more.
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