3 stars Red Sox can acquire by trading Triston Casas

Red Sox rumors: Bryan Reynolds is available

Bryan Reynolds requested a trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates a few weeks ago. Ben Cherington and Pittsburgh don’t appear ready to budge, but they were willing to take calls on Reynolds at the Winter Meetings.

While the Bucs won’t need a Juan Soto-like package for Reynolds, they do view him in that same conversation given he’s a controllable asset and an All-Star level talent. Reynolds is coming off a down year by his standards, but the Pirates will not offer a discount.

Boston needs outfield help, and Reynolds is the perfect fit. Triston Casas would almost definitely need to be involved in this trade, along with other talented Red Sox prospects. The Pirates would delay their competitive window by making such a deal, so a prospect-laden package should be expected.

BoSox Injection’s Craig Teed did point out some concerns with Reynold’s drop in numbers, though most projections suggest he’ll progress back to his normal standard in 2023:

"“As a whole, his 2022 campaign was impressive, though a step back in many ways from the year before. After hitting .302/.390/.522 in 2021, he hit .262/.345/.461 this year. While he actually hit a few more home runs in fewer games, his plate discipline took a serious hit. His walk rate fell 2.5% and his strikeout rate jumped from 18.4% to 23%, which is more in line with the first two seasons of his career.”"

Reynolds would be expensive, but including Casas would allow Bloom to hold onto the vast majority of his top-10 prospects, rather than be held ransom by Cherington.