Bryan Reynolds contract details: Pirates pay up for star outfielder

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed star outfielder Bryan Reynolds to an eight-year contract extension, per FanSided’s Robert Murray.

Amid the Pirates surprising start to the 2023 MLB season, a constant storyline has been whether the front office would pay up to keep arguably their best player, outfielder Bryan Reynolds.

Reynolds, who has been mentioned in trade rumors since last season (and perhaps even earlier), wanted to stay in Pittsburgh for the right contract. Pirates owner Bob Nutting, after some heated negotiations, finally relented.

An initial sticking point was the no-trade clause Reynolds wanted in his deal. Reynolds, currently 28 years old, was acquired from the San Francisco Giants in the trade which sent Andrew McCutchen to San Francisco. Now, he and Cutch are teammates, and Reynolds can help usher in the next era of Pittsburgh baseball.

Bryan Reynolds contract: Breaking down Pirates deal

Bryan Reynolds contract offers him a significant raise after he demanded a trade this offseason amid the dispute. Reynolds had at least two years of arbitration remaining on his deal, and was scheduled to make just under $7 million this season.

As Robert Murray points out, Reynolds salary will go up in the years to come, but is at an affordable rate for the Bucs.

Reynolds deal is the first nine-figure contract in Pirates history. Pittsburgh is a team which notoriously is not frivolous on the free-agent market, or with keeping their own homegrown talent.

Reynolds no-trade clause includes a six team no-trade list, which is the first time the Pirates have given out such a condition in franchise history.

In the end, this feels like a win for the Pirates, who keep their best player under contract until 2031 at an affordable rate. The market will only go up from here, and if this Pittsburgh team really is for real, they’ll need an undistracted Reynolds at his best.