Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds requested a trade in December but hasn’t entirely closed the door on remaining with the low-spending club.
“I’ll sign a fair deal,” Reynolds told reporters Wednesday, per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. “I don’t want it to be an unfair team deal. I don’t want either side of it to come out and be like, ‘Man, they kind of got us.’ I want it to be that both sides got some skin in it.”
Biertempfel reports that Reynolds and the Pirates were “about $50 million apart” on a potential six-year contract in December. The 28-year-old said on Wednesday that he and the club have “a difference of opinion” regarding his worth.
Reynolds is a one-time All-Star who slashed .262/.345/.461 with 27 home runs and 62 RBI in 145 games and 542 at-bats last season. Perhaps most importantly as it pertains to his future, his rights are under club control until after the 2025 campaign. Pittsburgh, thus, doesn’t have to trade Reynolds any time soon, and Biertempfel noted that Pirates general manager Ben Cherington is “asking other teams for a massive return for Reynolds.”
Reynolds has routinely been linked with the New York Yankees since the fall, but Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweeted back on Dec. 22 that the Bronx Bombers may not be able to match Pittsburgh’s asking price: