The Pittsburgh Pirates signed the largest contract extension in franchise history Tuesday, locking up slugging outfielder Bryan Reynolds for over $100 million. Reynolds, 27, will earn $106.75 million over the life of the eight-year contract, which is still pending a physical and has not yet been officially announced by the club. The contract also includes a team option to add an additional year, MLB.com reported citing team sources.
Reynolds opted out of the deal but will get on the partial no-trade list, believed to include six teams. The option year comes with $20 million and a $2 million buyout. It almost certainly changes Reynolds’ future with the brutally expensive franchise. The Pirates have been trying to get the Maryland native’s name on an extension for some time, despite a trade request this past offseason that had industry insiders predicting a certain departure.
The Yankees, Mets, and Blue Jays were all rumored to have an interest in the toolsy outfielder at the time. Reynolds is set to hit free agency in three years. It marks the first time in 17 years that the Pirates have extended any form of no-trade protection when it comes to attracting or retaining, usually, non-big-name free agents.
The Pirates are off to a 16-7 start so far this young season, leading the National League Central division with a complete-game win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Pittsburgh finished fourth last season in the six-team division. Reynolds has a .294/.319/.553 slash line in his fifth big-league season, all of which has been spent patrolling primarily left and some center field in the pitcher-friendly confines of PNC Park.
Reynolds is currently hitting 12 points above his career average of .282, and his OPS is 50 points higher. He had 79 round-trippers in his career, and in 2021 he was an All-Star, tied for the NL lead in triples with eight. The deal breaks the previous high-water mark in Pirates franchise history. Last spring, the team inked third baseman Ke’Brien Hayes to a $70 million, eight-year extension.
