Bryan Reynolds and the Pittsburgh Pirates Have Agreed to an Eight-Year Extension

April 25, 2023, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

It was one of the bigger and more public extension negotiations in recent months, and finally, it’s done: the Pittsburgh Pirates and outfielder Bryan Reynolds have agreed to a long-term deal. The Pirates have entered “keep our talented players” mode.

The Pirates go into the nine figures to keep Reynolds for a long time:

Pirates and Bryan Reynolds have reached an agreement on a long-term extension, per sources. Eight years. $106,750,000. More to come.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) April 25, 2023

Reynolds Pirates deal: $106.75M for 2023-2030 with team option for 2031. There is a form of trade protection. No opt out. He would have been free in three years at age 31.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 25, 2023

Reynolds, 28, was set to be a free agent in three years, so the Pirates are getting five additional years of control for something in the range of $10-ish million per year for the remaining arbitration years, and $16-ish million per year for the free agent years. It’s a very low rate for the Pirates, but Reynolds gets a huge guarantee in exchange for giving it up. And since four of those years will come in his 30s, it’s hard for me to say he’s making a mistake here.

Reynolds has been a .282/.359/.484/126 wRC+ hitter in his big league career, outstanding production for a guy who can play center field. He’s been playing more left field this year, though, and I wonder if he’ll be moving over there increasingly as his speed trails off. In left field, he becomes quite a bit less valuable, but if the bat holds steady for most of his new deal, I’m sure the Pirates will be quite happy.

Filed to: Chicago Cubs