The big Pittsburgh Pirates news of the winter — so far — is not the one-year stop gaps that are Carlos Santa and Ji-Man Choi, but the development this weekend that star outfielder Bryan Reynolds has requested a trade from the team.
The Pirates responded by pointing out that Reynolds is still under team control for another three years, his request does not change their overall plans, and they even leaked out the story that Reynolds turned down the “largest dollar amount in franchise history” as their way of saying, “see! We tried!”
For starters, without knowing the actual structure of their contract offer and the dollar amounts involved, that really does not mean anything to me. Largest contract in Pirates history could still mean it is a well below-market offer for a player of Reynolds’ ability, especially after they played hardball with him this past offseason on the one-year deal he ended up getting.
And that came after they handed out a long-term contract to a teammate (Ke’Bryan Hayes) who is not anywhere near as accomplished as him.
But even if it WAS a fair market contract offer, and even if it exceeded the value of Hayes’ contract, what motivation is there for Reynolds to want to take it and remain with the Pirates long-term?
Put yourself in his position and ask yourself that.
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