One thing is certain, the Pirates are known to trade their players before offering them big long-term contracts (think of Gerrit Cole in particular), or to exchange their good players for hopes (say Andrew McCutchen). But lately I feel like things have changed. Prior to the start of the final season, the Pirates signed Ke’Bryan Hayes.
This year, the Pirates must agree with Bryan Reynolds on a contract extension. Owner Bob Nutting said the team is currently working on a deal with the outfielder.
During the offseason, Bryan Reynolds requested a trade. But Andrew McCutchen’s return to Pittsburgh may have changed that and Reynolds could stay in Pittsburgh. If the two sides don’t agree, Reynolds will become a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.
At this point, the Pirates have offered Reynolds a 6-year, $80 million contract, and Reynolds wants 8 years, $134 million. That’s a lot of money difference between the two. Nutting seems to want to bring the two parties closer, but news in the sports world could prevent the Pirates from signing this contract.
Indeed, AT&T SportsNet, which owns the rights to broadcast the Pirates games, failed to pay what the channel owed the Pirates. This is due in particular to the parent company, Warner Bros Discovery, which could potentially go bankrupt. If so, the Pirates will find themselves short of 44 million in their budget. For a team that doesn’t even spend that amount on their payroll, that’s a very significant amount. The Pirates would not be the only ones affected by this bankruptcy, the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies.
We will find out in the coming weeks if Reynolds and the Pirates are able to agree on a contract. I hope so.
