Pirates Not Likely Trading Veteran Outfielder
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will make moves this offseason that they hope will improve the team heading into 2026, but one veteran outfielder will likely stay put.
Outfielder Bryan Reynolds is almost done with his seventh season in a Pirates uniform, making him the longest-tenured player on the team, along with right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller, who also made his debut in 2019.
Reynolds has had the worst statistical season of his career in 2025, excluding the 2020 campaign, which got shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has slashed .243/.317/.401 for an OPS of .718, all career-lows for him, while also posting 140 hits, 37 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, 57 walks to a career-high 171 strikeouts in 151 games.
He signed an eight-year, $106.75 million contract on April 25, 2023, marking the largest contract in Pirates history and also the largest for an outfielder drafted out of college, as he played for Vanderbilt.
Reynolds makes $12,250,000 this season, second on the Pirates behind Keller, who makes $15,411,500. He will then make $14,250,000 in 2026 and then $15,250,00 each season from 2027-2030 with a club option of $20,000,000 in 2031.
He has slashed .271/.346/.459 for an OPS of .805 in 945 games with the Pirates since debuting in 2019, with 962 hits, 194 doubles, 29 triples, 138 home runs, 484 RBIs and 365 walks to 903 strikeouts.
Reynolds' 138 home runs rank tied for 10th in Pirates history, with Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski (1956-72).
He has had strong seasons in both 2021 and 2024, where he earned All-Star nods, hitting .302 in 2021 and .275 in 2024, his highest and second highest batting averages in his career, respectively.
Reynolds drew trade interest at the deadline this season, with the Kansas City Royals reportedly interested, but he stayed with the Pirates and still has five more seasons of his contract and then six years with the club option.
Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed in his latest mailbag whether or not the Pirates would trade Reynolds in the offseason.
Hiles thinks that the Pirates could move Reynolds, but that trading him after his worst season at the MLB level won't bring much value in return. He also doesn't see the Pirates trying to move him this offseason and that they want Reynolds to get back to his All-Star form next season if possible.
"Bryan Reynolds, meanwhile, is a different situation," Hiles wrote. "Do I think there’s a chance he gets moved? Perhaps, but the odds aren’t great. Reynolds’ value is at an all-time low. If you move him, you’re essentially hoping someone will just take on the remainder of his contract. I don’t think you’d get much in return. I do think you could find better production in right field with the money they’re paying Reynolds.
"However, I don’t get the sense the Pirates are itching to move him — not yet, at least. If he struggles again next year, that could change. But right now, I think they’re hoping he can bounce back, at least as a hitter, in 2026."
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.