The Pirates and Bryan Reynolds have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year deal that will pay him $6.75 million per year, according to a source.
"It feels great," Reynolds said Thursday afternoon. "I’m really glad this is where we landed. Now, move forward and go through the season and grind."
The two sides have had conversations about different contract structures, something that Reynolds himself confirmed, though just avoiding the hearing and guaranteeing a salary for 2023 as well is where the two sides settled for now.
That should leave the door open for something longer-term down the road.
The Pirates and Reynolds were unable to reach an agreement last month to avoid his first potential arbitration case, with the Pirates filing at $4.25 million and Reynolds and his agency at $4.9 million. The Pirates are a file-and-trial club, meaning they do not sign players to one-year deals to avoid arbitration.
"We really did work hard and he worked hard to try to find a way to settle it before exchange," Ben Cherington said on the field at PNC Park Thursday. "We just didn't quite get there. Once we got past that, we knew that, look, there's a possibility we get to hearing, and we need to be prepared for that, but if there's a way to solve it without doing that, let's keep thinking about that. So we were looking at it right away."
A multi-year deal was a potential workaround to that stipulation, and while this does not extend the window of the Pirates' team control over Reynolds -- he will still have two more years of arbitration potentially remaining after the 2023 season -- it does guarantee him a salary and avoids any potential unpleasantness for either side from a hearing.
After the deadline to file arbitration figures passed, both Reynolds and Cherington voiced in Bradenton, Fla. that they would have preferred to avoid the arbitration process. While talks between the two sides just picked up a few days ago, Reynolds' receptiveness made a deal come together quickly.
"I always hoped this would be the outcome and it was the outcome," Reynolds said. "So I’d say this was a win-win."
Cherington said in Bradenton that he believed the Pirates could have continued to have a good relationship even if the arbitration case happened, and Reynolds himself said, "it doesn't change anything [about] the way I feel about Pittsburgh." However, Reynolds also acknowledged those hearings can get "messy."
And while it wouldn't have necessarily closed the door on Reynolds remaining with the Pirates long-term, it's extremely rare for a player to go through an arbitration hearing and then sign an extended multi-year deal with that club later.
This way, the Pirates will guarantee they are still in good standing with their All-Star center fielder, and possibly quell trade rumors. While the Pirates have listened to offers on Reynolds over the past year, including during spring training, they do not have any serious interest in trading him.
Dejan Kovacevic reported from Bradenton, Fla. that Pirates owner and chairman Bob Nutting was unhappy that the Pirates could be taking Reynolds to arbitration over a $650,000 difference in potential salary and wanted to avoid it. Reynolds and an additional source told DK Pittsburgh Sports there had been no discussions of a multi-year deal at the filing deadline.
This extension comes two days after the Pirates formally announced an eight-year, $70 million contract with Ke'Bryan Hayes, the largest contract in franchise history. Like that Hayes deal, Reynolds' two-year pact offers more money up front than normal rather than deferring it to a later year in the contract.
On Thursday, Hayes voiced his support of Reynolds' deal.
"It’s awesome," Hayes said. "That’s part of the reason I signed. I feel like we’re moving in the right direction. It’s amazing to have a guy like that, middle of the order type of guy. Was in contention for the Gold Glove, All-Star, all that stuff last year. He’s expressed that he wants to stay here. It’s awesome to get a guy like that, keep him here for two years. That’s really good for our team."
With those deals, Reynolds said "things are definitely taking steps in the right direction" when it comes to the public perception of the Pirates spending more.
"We're not specifically trying to send a message," Cherington said. "We're just trying to have good relationships with our players, and in those two cases, they're really important guys, and we're happy we were able to work out something with both of them. They both share with us a desire for our energy to be on the field and working towards getting better here and building something. I believe they want to be a part of that, and they love to play, and they love to be out there with their teammates, so they'd rather be focused on that than anything else."
It also offers a bit of peace of mind for Reynolds. While the case wasn't hanging over his head, being locked in for two years eliminates some of the outside noise.
"It’s good to put it to bed," Reynolds said. "Now, we really focus on the season."
