Yankees Haven't Stopped Pursuing Trade For Bryan Reynolds, Per MLB Insider
NEW YORK — When it comes to outfielders and next week's trade deadline, Juan Soto and Andrew Benintendi have been the talk of the town.
The Yankees are reportedly in on both of those All-Stars and could pursue other options at the position, like Cubs switch-hitter Ian Happ and Diamondbacks slugger David Peralta.
That doesn't mean the ship has sailed on another player that New York has had their eye on for quite some time.
The Yankees (along with the Miami Marlins) have "not stopped calling" about Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds, per MLB insider Jim Bowden.
Bowden, a former general manager, wrote in The Athletic on Tuesday that the Yankees have not "offered enough to entice the Pirates" when it comes to Reynolds.
Reynolds was linked to the Yankees this past offseason, a candidate to bolster New York's current group of outfielders in addition to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Since then, Joey Gallo has continued to struggle in a Yankees uniform while Aaron Hicks has turned things around, putting together a solid couple of months. Matt Carpenter has earned his way into playing time in the outfield as well thanks to his historic surge since signing with New York in May.
As for Reynolds, the 27-year-old hasn't exactly looked like the All-Star that played in 159 games and earned MVP votes a year ago. The center fielder, who recently returned from a right oblique strain, is slashing .257/.339/.459 with 15 homers and 1.4 fWAR across 84 games played.
Taking a closer look at his numbers, nearly all of his advanced metrics—like his expected figures, barrel rate, strikeout rate and whiff rate—are worse this year. Plus, for a player that's viewed by many as an excellent defender, Reynolds has struggled in the outfield, producing minus-6 defensive runs saved and minus-5 outs above average (compared to plus-10 OAA a year ago).
That doesn't mean his asking price will decrease, though. Reynolds is a young player with a solid track record and three more years of team control after this season. It might not require the type of package a Soto trade would command, but Reynolds is still a valuable piece that Pittsburgh won't move unless they get what they're looking for.
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