Perrotto: Reynolds Trade Request Generating Buzz at Winter Meetings (+)
SAN DIEGO – Even though the Pittsburgh Pirates claim they aren’t actively trying to trade Bryan Reynolds, he is generating plenty of interest at the Winter Meetings.
As I wrote Sunday, at least nine teams have at least a certain level of interest in trading for the center fielder. A 10th team can be added as a Tigers’ source told PittsburghBaseballNow that Detroit is considering making an offer for Reynolds.
The Guardians and Miami Marlins are stacking up as the early favorites to be trade partners with the Pirates. News broke Saturday that Reynolds has asked to be traded following an impasse in negotiations over a long-term contract extension.
The Pirates may not trade Reynolds during the meetings at the Manchester Hyatt this week. Executives from other clubs, though, are skeptical about the Pirates hanging on to Reynolds throughout the offseason and into opening day next year.
“The Pirates are saying that just try to hold onto some leverage,” a front office type from an American League club said. “If the guy doesn’t want to be there, it’s going to be an awkward situation if they keep him.”
However, a similar situation occurred in 2018 when then-Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison asked to be traded. He was upset that center fielder and close friend Andrew McCutchen had been dealt to the San Francisco Giants.
Harrison remained with the Pirates throughout that season without incident, then left as a free agent.
The Guardians match up well with the Pirates’ desire to add pitching prospects. Cleveland is indeed interested in adding a power bat like Reynolds.
The Marlins are said to be willing to part with anyone from their farm system for Reynolds except right-hander Eury Perez. He is ranked as the eighth-best prospect in the game by Baseball America.
The Houston Astros are also potential Reynolds suitors.
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They have been searching for a long-term answer in center field since George Springer signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as a free agent prior to the 2021 season. The Astros believe Reynolds would be an upgrade in center field over Chas McCormick.
The Astros might formulate a package centering around some of their young starting pitchers in the major leagues like Jose Urquidy or Luis Garcia. They will not give up top pitching prospect Hunter Brown.
These are the first Winter Meetings since 2019, which were also held in San Diego.
The 2020 event was canceled because of the pandemic and last year’s meetings were scrubbed because the baseball owners had locked out the players.
No one knows for sure how much the Winter Meetings will change following a three-year absence. Some teams are said to be cutting down on the size of contingents they are sending to San Diego. The Manchester Hyatt lobby seemed a little emptier Sunday than normal for the meetings.
“I think it’s good for baseball that this even can happen again,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said last week before the Reynolds’ trade request became public. “It’s such an important time in the offseason for a lot of attention to come onto our sport.
“Whether you’re in a conference room, in front of your desk, or on a Zoom, it’s kind of a regular cadence of meetings and looking at the same stuff. Then, all of a sudden, we’re transplanted to a hotel suite somewhere and you’re trying to do the same things in a much different environment. That’s always been an interesting part of it.
“But it’s a fun atmosphere,” Cherington added. “It’s a fun time to be a baseball fan and it’s great for the game that it’s back.”
Full disclosure here: The Winter Meetings are my favorite event on the baseball calendar. It’s fun to catch up with people from around the game, whether they be other writers, managers, scouts, player agents, or team executives.
And it’s always cool to catch up on all the baseball gossip. Especially this week with so many teams interested in trying to trade for the Pirates’ best player.