What would it take for the Cubs to get Bryan Reynolds from the Pirates?

Dec 4, 2022 - 4:00 PM

News item:

Bryan Reynolds is a really good baseball player. Acquired by the Pirates in 2018 in the Andrew McCutchen deal, Reynolds was an All-Star in 2021 and finished 11th in MVP voting in a 6.0 bWAR season. He wasn’t quite as stellar in 2022 but still put up good numbers: .262/.345/.461 with 27 home runs in 145 games.

Reynolds would look pretty good in center field at Wrigley. So what would it take to bring Reynolds to the Cubs, presuming the Pirates would trade him within the division?

I’d say you’d have to start with a major league pitcher. So let’s put Keegan Thompson in this trade; he could go right into the Pirates rotation.

Second, you’d have to give the Bucs at least one (and possibly more) of the Cubs’ top prospects. The Pirates are probably going to ask for Pete Crow-Armstrong. I don’t think I’d do that, but I’d be willing to send Kevin Alcántara in the trade.

Further, a pitching prospect would sweeten the deal, so how about someone like Porter Hodge?

Lastly, I would offer the Pirates Nick Madrigal, to complete the trade.

Would that do it? Thompson, Alcántara, Hodge and Madrigal?

Reynolds is under contract through 2023, as he signed a two-year, $13.5 million deal before the 2022 season, so his salary/luxury tax hit for 2023 is $6.75 million. He has two more arb-eligible years after that before being eligible for free agency following the 2025 season, so acquiring him would come with three years of team control. Defensive metrics don’t rate him highly in center field, but the eye test says he could probably hold it down for a year until 2024, when (possibly) PCA or Brennen Davis could take over there, with Reynolds moving to left (assuming Ian Happ is traded or departs via free agency).

Reynolds turns 28 in January. A switch-hitter, he’d look good just about anywhere in the Cubs lineup. However, as noted in Jason Mackey’s tweet above, it doesn’t sound like the Pirates are in a hurry to deal Reynolds and their asking price is likely to be very high.

Would you make the deal I proposed? Or do you have a different one?