Pirates at contract standstill with star player due to 'major conceptual issue'

The Pirates and outfielder Bryan Reynolds have been discussing a contract extension in recent days, with Thursday’s opener reportedly considered a cutoff point. The season has now begun and it appears that there’s still no deal in place, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who adds that the two sides have an agreement on dollars but a “major conceptual issue” is getting in the way.

To this point, it’s unclear what this conceptual issue is. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms Heyman’s report and adds that the hang-up is not “years/dollars or size of the thing.” If it’s not the length or the guarantee, it could be something like an opt-out or a no-trade clause, but that’s merely speculation.

Regardless of what the issue is, the fact that the two sides got closer on the money is encouraging. Discussions earlier this winter reportedly had the Pirates offering something in the $75M-$80M range over six years, while Reynolds’ camp was aiming for $134M over eight years. The two sides were so far apart that Reynolds requested a trade. The Pirates appeared generally unmoved by that request and seemingly had no desire to drop their sky-high asking price. It’s a somewhat positive sign that the talks have been fruitful enough that a deal seems close, but it hasn’t yet gotten over the line.

It has been reported in recent days that the Opening Day game is something of a deadline for negotiations. The Pirates have started their first game of the season, and it seems a deal still isn’t in place. However, Mackey reports that both sides still view it as being possible.

Whether or not a deal comes together in the coming days or weeks remains to be seen. If the talks eventually end without a new deal, there’s nothing preventing further talks from starting down the road, but players often like to use Opening Day as a point to focus less on contractual matters and more on their on-field duties. Reynolds will be making $6.75M this year as part of a two-year deal to avoid arbitration he signed going into 2022. The Pirates can still retain his services via arbitration for 2024 and 2025, with Reynolds currently slated for free agency after that. He’s coming into this season with a career batting line of .281/.361/.481 for a wRC+ of 126.