Connect with us

Opinion

Perrotto: Winter Meetings Just Got More Interesting for Pirates

Published

on

Pittsburgh Pirates

Well, the Winter Meetings just got a lot more interesting for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Word broke Saturday that center fielder Bryan Reynolds has requested a trade. The Pirates have been attempting to sign Reynolds to a long-term contract, but the sides haven’t come close to an agreement.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington goes to the meetings, which start Sunday in San Diego, looking for more than just catching and pitching help now. He will also try to look for trade partners for a deal involving the Pirates’ best player.

Cherington should be able to get a good package in return for Reynolds.

The 27-year old is not eligible for free agency until after the 2025 season. Thus, any team trading for Reynolds would have him under contractual control for three more seasons.

Plenty of teams showed interest in the switchitter prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline. However, the Pirates were reluctant to deal Reynolds at that time because they were still optimistic of signing him the long haul.

The Pirates have gone 142-242 over the last three seasons but it’s not the losing that prompted Reynolds to ask for a trade.

DraftKings

States: PA, WV, NY, NJ

GET THE APP
DRAFT KINGS SIGNUP BONUS$50 FREE BET!
Get a $50 bet free when you sign up with DraftKings.
GET NOW

I had a conversation with Reynolds during the final week of last season, and he expressed optimism that the Pirates weren’t that far away from fielding a competitive team. I didn’t get the sense that he was just giving a politically correct answer or was outright lying.

Reynolds might not be the most talkative guy in the world, but he certainly has never struck me as disingenuous.

At that point, Reynolds obviously thought he was going to be a key part of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ future.

Instead, it appears Reynolds is going to be a part of the Pirates’ past. Perhaps before the end of the upcoming week.

 

John Perrotto is a columnist for Pittsburgh Baseball Now and has covered the Pittsburgh Pirates and MLB since 1988.

Subscribe Today!

Subscribe today!

PBN in your Inbox

Enter your email address to get all of our posts sent directly to your inbox.

Copyright © 2021 Pittsburgh Baseball Network and Pittsburgh Sports Now. All rights reserved. In no way endorsed by the Pittsburgh Pirates or Major League Baseball.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (PA/IL) or 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN only) or 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA only) or 1-800-522-4700 (CO Only) or TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789.