BRADENTON, Florida. Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Brian Reynolds knows he got a hefty raise after making the All-Star team and finishing as a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger finalist. major league minimum.
However, it remains unclear how large the increase will be.
Reynolds submitted a $4.9 million offer for 2022. The Pirates responded with a $4.25 million offer. Both sides failed to split the $650,000 difference, leading to a potentially heated arbitration battle for the best player in a rebuilding team still looking for an identity.
The Pirates are a “file and court” team, preferring to end negotiations and go to an arbitration hearing. Reynolds is having his best season hitting .302/.390/.522 with 35 doubles, 8 treys, 24 home runs and 90 RBIs in 159 games last season.
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Reynolds, 27, is aware that arbitration hearings can get “confusing” as teams try to drive down a player’s value, so he expects the Pirates to play the 2020 season against him.
The sport was shut down for almost four months due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and Reynolds’ time came out due to a shortened season in which he hit .189 with seven homers and 19 RBIs.
“I mean, I made it pretty obvious,” Reynolds said. “I feel like it would be foolish to focus on the 60-game pandemic season from then on. I think when it comes down to it, we’ll see. Yes, I don’t want to be defined by this. I feel like I’ve kind of turned the page in this one.”
Reynolds said the Pirates did not offer a long-term contract extension. He turned down previous offers, but stated that he was willing to stay with the pirates even though there were trading rumors about him.
“They didn’t say anything about an extension, so we didn’t think about it,” he said. “I would obviously like to reach an agreement so we don’t have to do it now. But like I said, that’s also part of the game.”
The Pirates have finished last in the Central National League for three straight years and finished the season with 101 losses. Reynolds said last week that he wanted to win with the Pirates. On Wednesday, Reynolds said he was still open to signing a long-term deal.
“It doesn’t change anything about how I feel about Pittsburgh or anything like that,” Reynolds said. “Some of my teammates, or the team, or something like that. I understand it’s part of the game.”
Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said he wasn’t worried it would come down to Reynolds, whose low-key approach has made him consistent at every level he’s played, with the exception of 2020.
“I don’t think anything affects Brian Reynolds,” Shelton said. “I think he has one great thing about him – he stays the same all the time. And that’s wise, he’s a player of caliber.”