The Pittsburgh Pirates and switch-hitting outfielder Bryan Reynolds have agreed to an eight-year extension, the team announced Wednesday. The deal is worth more than $106 million and includes a club option for the 2031 season, as well as no-trade protections for Reynolds. It does not include an opt-out, CBS Sports HQ has confirmed.
Reynolds' pact eclipses teammate Ke'Bryan Hayes' extension for the most guaranteed money in Pirates franchise history. Hayes, Pittsburgh's starting third baseman, signed an eight-year deal worth $70 million in April 2022.
"We are thrilled to reach this agreement with Bryan. He is a player we trust on and off the field," Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington said in a press release. "This agreement is an important step toward our shared goal of building a championship team in Pittsburgh."
Reynolds, 28, has begun his fifth big-league season hitting .294/.319/.553 (136 OPS+) with five home runs and three stolen bases in 22 games. His contributions have been worth an estimated 0.5 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations. For his career, he's batted .282/.359/.484 (128 OPS+) with 79 home runs and 19 stolen bases.
Reynolds and the Pirates had reportedly been discussing an extension for some time, though the two had clashed over a possible opt-out clause. At any rate, this represents a remarkable turnaround given that Reynolds had requested a trade from the Pirates back in December. Clearly the two sides were able to work past their problems and find enough common ground to strike a deal.
The Pirates originally acquired Reynolds from the San Francisco Giants in 2018 in a trade sent Andrew McCutchen out west. McCutchen, of course, is now teammates with Reynolds, having rejoined Pittsburgh over the offseason.
Reynolds' extension is the latest highlight in what's proven to be a great month of baseball for the Pirates. They entered Tuesday with a 16-7 record, good for first place in the National League Central. Their plus-25 run differential is tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the second best in the division.
