Pirates’ pathetic rumored Bryan Reynolds offer, trade demands mean Yankees can’t give up

The New York Yankees have a left field vacancy (to say the least) that would be perfect for Pittsburgh Pirates star Bryan Reynolds to fill. Sadly, the Pirates aren’t biting thus far … but that doesn’t mean it’s time for the Yanks to give up.

After all, it’s clear based on all the information emerging recently that the relationship in Pittsburgh is fully severed. The longer this process drags on and unreasonable trade demands are communicated, the more the Pirates risk holding a disgruntled asset too long.

MLB insider Jon Heyman summed up the state of the Pirates’ camp in his Friday column, summarizing the current Reynolds market by citing an executive who deemed all current trade asks to be “unrealistic” (wonder if that was Cashman or Sabean?).

Most expect nothing to get done until closer to the spring, but nobody expects Reynolds to finish his pre-arbitration time (or the month of March) in Pittsburgh, considering the gulf that exists between the two sides and led to the unorthodox-in-MLB “trade demand” at the end of 2022.

Per sources, Reynolds’ camp reached out about an approximation of Matt Olson’s deal (eight years, $168 million), while the Buccos countered with a reported $75 million, six-year contract.

Pros? It sounds a lot like the Sean Murphy contract. Cons? There’s no Pirates Foundation to funnel secret money into like whatever’s happening in Atlanta. Unsurprisingly, Reynolds passed, and passed loudly.

Pirates won’t bend on Yankees and Bryan Reynolds trade

So, to sum up, there’s a zero percent chance of Reynolds remaining in Pittsburgh long-term. There’s also a zero percent chance of Reynolds being traded if the Pirates won’t relent. So … the Yankees, Dodgers and other interested parties will just keep sitting here twiddling their thumbs, apparently.

At the moment … the Pirates prefer high-end pitching, something the Mariners have, the Dodgers have in droves, and the Yankees don’t possess. If LA really wanted to, they could blow away any offer the other two clubs mentioned could put together, but if the Pirates are swimming exclusively in the deep end, then why would they want to bend to Ben Cherington’s demands so early in the process?

Reynolds could be dealt in March. He could be dealt at the deadline. He could somehow last in Pittsburgh until next offseason, if the Pirates make a catastrophic mistake.

Pittsburgh insider Rob Biertempfel recently told The Athletic that a deal built around Jasson Dominguez and one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects should be accepted (in a just world) and was about as good an offer as the Pirates could hope for.

At this moment in time, though, the Pirates aren’t done hoping just yet. Short of another $100 million in their extension offer, though, this deal will get done sometime soon, and the Yankees won’t let a Rafael Ortega signing stop them from joining the conversation.