Pirates should give star OF Bryan Reynolds what he wants in new contract

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been trying hard to sign star outfielder Bryan Reynolds to a new contract extension, but things remain stalled in those talks. 

That is bad news for Pirates fans who want to see their star outfielder remain with the team long term.

It is reaching a point where the team should give Reynolds what he wants to extend an olive branch to fans who have grown tired of seeing losing baseball. 

General manager Ben Cherington told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Friday morning that he has "nothing new" to report on those talks as the Pirates prepare for their home opener against the Chicago White Sox. 

It has to be a frustrating development for Pirates fans because the two sides seemingly made a significant amount of progress leading up to the season before things hit a snag. 

The snag is reportedly the Pirates' refusal to give Reynolds an opt-out clause in any new deal. 

Early in the offseason the Pirates made Reynolds an initial contract offer in the $70 million range that was so far below his market value that he requested a trade away from the team. 

Reynolds wanted a deal in the $130 million range.

The Pirates balked at that trade request and made renewed efforts to sign him leading up to the start of the season. The two sides set an unofficial deadline of Opening Day for a new deal, with the Pirates reportedly exceeding the $100 million mark in their latest offer. 

Things got so far along that the two sides reportedly agreed on the money aspect before hitting the opt-out snag. 

It is understandable as to why Reynolds would want the opt-out option in any new deal. He has spent his entire big league career playing in Pittsburgh and, to this point, has never been close to playoff baseball. He still has two more full seasons under Pirates team control before he could be eligible for free agency. If he can get a new deal in Pittsburgh with the opt-out, he could not only increase his earnings in the short term, but also give himself the option to still hit free agency at a point where he could land another significant deal on the open market and play for a contender. 

The Pirates, meanwhile, want to keep their star for the duration of any new deal and do not want to see him get away, but it still might benefit the Pirates to give Reynolds the opt-out he seeks. 

If the Pirates are unable to extend Reynolds, one of two things is going to happen. They are either going to lose him for nothing the second he becomes eligible for free agency, or they are going to trade him for pennies on the dollar before he has a chance to test the open market. Neither option is ideal. They are going to lose him anyway, and fans will be left saying, "You did it to us again." 

Let's say the Pirates give Reynolds an opt-out after three or four years, and let's say he exercises that. In that instance the Pirates would have still gained an additional year or two of Reynolds' peak performance, and they could then have the built-in PR excuse to say, "Hey, we signed him … he did not want to stay."

They literally have nothing to lose. Because even if they do not give in, Reynolds will be playing for a different team within three years anyway.