While speaking to YES Network this week, following the introduction of starting pitcher Carlos Rodón, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman gave a sneak peek into a text conversation with an opposing GM, getting a response after he sent over a trade proposal.
“You go back and forth with ideas that most of them, 99 percent of them, go nowhere,” Cashman said. “But when you do hit and feel good enough, we’ll get ownership involved and see if we can close something out.”
Could that conversation have been with Pirates general manager Ben Cherington? Was outfielder Bryan Reynolds part of the proposed package going from Pittsburgh to New York?
The Yankees have been connected to Reynolds for quite some time, an All-Star outfielder at that requested to be traded this offseason. Meanwhile, New York is in search of a starting left fielder, wanting an upgrade from limited in-house options after missing out on several top free agents that play the position.
With the Yankees interested in Reynolds and Pittsburgh familiar with New York’s farm system—after multiple high-profile trades over the last few years—this has the potential to be a good match.
Let’s say the Pirates do make Reynolds available. What will they ask for in return for the switch-hitting outfielder, a 27-year-old with three years of team control remaining.
MLB insider Mark Feinsand created a few trade proposals over on MLB.com this week, a list of five hypotheticals including one blockbuster between the Yankees and Pirates.
Here’s the Reynolds trade proposal from Feinsand. Then, we’ll break this down and see if both teams would pull the trigger on this type of trade…
Yankees get: OF Bryan Reynolds, RHP David Bednar
Pirates get: OF Jasson Domínguez (Yankees’ No. 2 prospect), RHP Clayton Beeter (No. 9), RHP Drew Thorpe (No. 13), OF Elijah Dunham (No. 19)
In this trade, the Yankees would be getting a top-tier outfielder and an All-Star reliever in Bednar that posted a 2.61 ERA with 19 saves in 2022. In return, Pittsburgh would acquire four prospects. Domínguez is the centerpiece giving the Pirates a potential superstar while Beeter and Dunham are prospects on the rise, finishing last season with Double-A Somerset. Thorpe is a long-term project, picked in the second round of this year’s MLB Draft.
Off the bat, it doesn’t seem like the Yankees are offering enough here to convince the Pirates to make this trade. Remember, even if Reynolds requested a trade, Pittsburgh isn’t obliged to move the outfielder anytime soon. Plus, Pittsburgh reportedly prefers starting pitchers in a possible Reynolds deal. Beeter and Thorpe are top-13 prospects in the Yankees’ organization, but the Pirates can certainly find another team with better pitching prospects to offer in a package for Reynolds.
Baseball Trade Values estimates the Yankees’ four-prospect package is worth 37 points of trade value. Reynolds, meanwhile, is worth almost double that amount (64.20) in BTV’s Trade Simulator. That’s without including Bednar, who has four more years of team control.
Bottom line, the Yankees would need to blow the Pirates away if they want Reynolds wearing pinstripes in left field on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium next year. Just look at what the Blue Jays needed to part ways with to acquire outfielder Daulton Varsho from the Diamondbacks in Friday’s blockbuster trade. That deal makes Reynolds worth even more on the trade market this offseason.
Unless the Yankees are willing to include top prospect Anthony Volpe, compile an otherworldly package or get a third team involved, New York’s lack of high-end pitching prospects is the clear obstacle here.
Then again, the Yankees have fleeced the Pirates before. Perhaps Cashman can work his magic during the holiday season, convincing Pittsburgh to agree to terms. After all, the Clay Holmes and Jameson Taillon trades both worked out in New York’s favor.
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