Sources: Pirates, Reynolds reach $106.75M deal

Outfielder Bryan Reynolds and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement on an eight-year, $106.75 million contract extension, sources told ESPN, marking the largest deal in franchise history amid Pittsburgh’s scorching start.

After talks between the sides fell apart during spring training when Reynolds requested an opt-out, they picked up in recent days, and a limited no-trade clause helped push the deal across the finish line, sources said.

Before this deal, the Pirates had been one of four major league teams to have never signed a player to a $100 million contract, along with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Over the winter, Reynolds had requested a trade from Pittsburgh, which originally acquired him from the San Francisco Giants in a deal before the 2018 season.

The 28-year-old Reynolds, whose 14 wins above replacement over his five-year career ranks 34th in baseball, will receive the right to block a trade to six teams of his choice annually but no opt-out. The deal starts this year and includes a ninth-year team option for 2031. He was scheduled to hit free agency after the 2025 season.

Reynolds’ hot start — he’s hitting .294/.319/.552 and leads the team with 18 RBIs, is tied for the club lead with five home runs and has three stolen bases — has helped buttress the Pirates, whose 16-7 record is the best in the National League and second only to the 20-3 Tampa Bay Rays. Pittsburgh is missing its other cornerstone, shortstop Oneil Cruz, who broke his left leg on a slide into home plate.

After playing center field for most of his first four seasons, Reynolds has spent more time this year in left field. He was at his best in 2021 when he made the National League All-Star team and hit .302/.390/.522 and put up 5.9 WAR. For his career, Reynolds is hitting .282/.359/.484 with 79 home runs and 257 RBIs in 515 games.

The deal, first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is similar to ones previously signed by the Minnesota Twins‘ Byron Buxton and the Seattle Mariners‘ Kyle Seager. It includes a $2 million signing bonus on top of the $6.75 million he was scheduled to make this year and will pay him $10 million next year, $12 million in 2025, $14 million in 2026, $15 million each year from 2027 to 2030 and has a $20 million option with a $2 million buyout for 2031.

Reynolds joins third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, whose $70 million contract last year was previously the biggest in franchise history, as the only Pirates locked up beyond the 2023 season. They could look to extend Cruz and right-hander Mitch Keller as they look to escape a four-year stretch during which they haven’t won 70 games in a season.