Perrotto: Who’s on First for Pirates? The Guy in Left?

DALLAS – The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Josh Bell on Christmas Eve in 2020. They have been looking for a long-term solution at first base ever since.

The Pirates have tried to patch over the hole created during the holiday season with a series of stocking stuffers. None have seized the job in the four years since Bell was shipped to the Washington Nationals.

So, the Pirates are considering an internal option to play first base. Left fielder Bryan Reynolds could shift to first base in 2025.

Reynolds began taking ground balls during pre-game drills late last season. Reynolds and the Pirates downplayed the idea of a position switch by saying he was working out at first base for fun.

However, it could become serious business in spring training if general manager Ben Cherington can’t find a fix for first base this winter. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said on Monday during MLB’s Winter Meetings at the Hilton Anatole that bench coach Don Kelly had devised an offseason workout plan for Reynolds at first base.

The Pirates don’t yet want Reynolds to start the program after he played in 156 games this year and hit .275/.344/.447 with 24 home runs and 10 stolen bases while being selected to the All-Star Game for the second time in his six-year career.

“Right now, it’s just rest,” Shelton said. “He played in 150-something games. We need him to rest. He’ll start his offseason program, but the idea is that we’re going to see what it’s like at first base, to see if he is going to play there full-time. I wouldn’t say that. He’s a good athlete. He likes taking ground balls.”

Reynolds hasn’t played first base since his freshman year of college in 2014 when he appeared in eight games there for Vanderbilt.

However, the Pirates believe he can make the transition if needed.

“The initial work that he did at the end of the season was very positive,” Shelton said. “We’ll see how it goes. Then we’ll see how the rest of our club plays out.”

Pirates first basemen hit .230/.296/.380 last season with 19 home runs in 2024. Rowdy Tellez’s 111 games at the position were a team.

Reynolds would be an offensive upgrade.

However, the Pirates realize that shifting Reynolds to first base would leave them with few quality outfielders. They would need a left fielder to replace Reynolds and already have a big hole in right field.

“He’s a baseball player,” Cherington said of Reynolds. “Baseball players do baseball things. I think he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win, and that’s part of what we love about him so much and respect about him so much. I think it’s early in the offseason and this will come down to what our roster opportunities are.

“He’s an outfielder, is what we would say right now. If there is ever a reason that we felt like the team was better with him trying to do something else, I know he’s open to doing that. As we envision it right now, he’s an outfielder on the team. He’s a really important part of the team.”

There is also one other factor to consider. Reynolds had minus-5 defensive runs saved last season and the North Side Notch at PNC Park is starting to seem a little too much for him to handle.

Though still just 29, perhaps the time has come to lighten Reynolds’ defensive load.

Stay tuned.