The Pittsburgh Pirates showed interest in extending All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds in the offseason.
They started with an insulting six-year, $76 million offer that resulted in a trade request from the outfielder’s camp.
Reynolds is believed to be seeking an eight-year deal worth well over $100 million (probably as much as $134 million), so the two sides are very much apart.
They negotiated well into spring training, but it’s unclear if extension talks carried over to the season.
Reynolds has had an explosive start of the 2023 campaign, doing everything in his power to get people to believe he is actually deserving of a huge payday.
He is squaring the ball almost at will, and the numbers back it up.
“Most barrels, 2023: Bryan Reynolds: 7; Ronald Acuna Jr: 6; CJ Chron: 6; Brian Anderson: 6. Barrels = batted balls w/ideal combination of launch angle + exit velocity,” MLB stats expert Sarah Langs tweeted.
most barrels, 2023:
Bryan Reynolds: 7
Ronald Acuna Jr: 6
CJ Chron: 6
Brian Anderson: 6barrels = batted balls w/ideal combination of launch angle + exit velocity
—Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 6, 2023
A barrel is the best type of batted ball hitters can aspire for.
These are hard-hit balls at an ideal angle, and often result in extra-base hits and home runs.
If they don’t leave the yard, barrels are extremely difficult to field.
In the specific case of Reynolds, they are going as well as you can expect.
He is hitting .417/.444/1.000 with four home runs and a 268 wRC+ (100 is the league average, so he is performing 168 percent better than that).
He just can’t stop hitting the ball hard, showing his worth.
Reynolds is young, at 28, controllable, with three years until free agency, and clearly talented.
Pittsburgh should lock him up for the foreseeable future.
That $130+ million hypothetical investment would look like a bargain a couple of years from now.
NEXT:
Bryan Reynolds Had Himself A Big Night In Boston
