The Pittsburgh Pirates hold what seems like the last real difference-making player of the offseason.
Outfielder Bryan Reynolds handed over a trade request to Pirates management several weeks ago, and is said to be available for the right price.
Teams, however, have found that price to be hard to meet.
The fact that there are so many teams interested only drives up the player’s price: basic supply and demand.
The New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners have varying degrees of interest, and there is another team joining the group: the Texas Rangers.
“The #Rangers are among the top remaining suitors for #Pirates OF Bryan Reynolds, as I just reported on
@MLBNetwork. The Pirates want high-upside pitching prospects for Reynolds, and Texas has 3 pitchers among the @MLBPipeline Top 100: Leiter, White, and Porter,” MLB insider Jon Morosi tweeted.
The #Rangers are among the top remaining suitors for #Pirates OF Bryan Reynolds, as I just reported on @MLBNetwork.
The Pirates want high-upside pitching prospects for Reynolds, and Texas has 3 pitchers among the @MLBPipeline Top 100: Leiter, White, and Porter. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 11, 2023
The Rangers are, in fact, more likely to swing a deal than any other team.
Why?
Because they have what the Pirates are looking for: young, impact pitching.
The Yankees, for example, want and need Reynolds but most of their impact prospects are position players: Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera, and others.
The Rangers, on the other hand, have those three hurlers Morosi mentions plus Kumar Rocker, too.
Jack Leiter is perhaps the most highly-regarded name that the Pirates could be looking for, and if he is included in any deal, it’s hard to see the Rangers lose out on Reynolds.
Let’s see if something happens before the start of the 2023 regular season.
NEXT: Nathan Eovaldi Comments On Joining The Rangers