Brian Reynolds Trade Texas Must Offer Pirates

Most of the big moves in the MLB offseason have already happened, especially when it comes to free agency, but we could still see some moves in the trade market. There are still a few big names that could be transferred, but none is bigger than Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Brian Reynolds, who requested a Pirates tradeoff earlier this offseason.

Reynolds is one of the top outfielders in the game, and since his trade request went public, he has generated a lot of interest in the market. The thing is, the Pirates don’t seem to be in a rush to trade Reynolds for any reason. The result was a huge asking price for Reynolds.

At this point, a trade doesn’t seem imminent for Reynolds, but the Texas Rangers are one of many teams emerging as potential suitors for the star outfielder if he makes the move. It may be a little steep in price, but Texas has put together a very aggressive offseason. If they want to continue that trend, they have the perfect trade offer to convince Pittsburgh to part ways with Reynolds.

Rangers acquire: Brian Reynolds

Pirates get: Jack Reiter, Luisanger Acuna, Cole Reagans

The Pirates have absolutely no chance of contending for a World Series any time soon, so it doesn’t make much sense as to why they’re so fixated on sticking with Reynolds. Staying away, it makes sense to get rid of Reynolds and get something in exchange for him.

It’s not hard to see why Reynolds is such a popular trade target across the league right now. He doesn’t get as much attention as he should, but that’s usually what happens when he plays for one of the worst teams in the league. Reynolds’ 2022 campaign was very strong (. 262 batting average, 27 HR, 62 RBI, . 807 OPS) and was a product the Rangers desperately could use in the outfield next season.

What does it take to close the deal here? Rangers let go of a pair of top 100 prospects and another major league ready player to close this deal. , Texas has taken many steps to make a playoff contender this offseason, and the addition of Reynolds will reinforce the idea of ​​wanting to win as soon as possible.

The biggest piece of the deal is Jack Reiter, whom the Rangers acquired with the 2nd overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Leiter had a great first season in the minors, but struggled hard in Double-A last season. Leiter’s record has been spectacular (3-10, 5.54 ERA, 109 ERA, 1.55 WHIP), and there are concerns that he may have hit a growth stumbling block.

Leiter is still a very promising prospect and the Pirates will be thrilled to bring him into the deal. You may not have time to wait.

Luisanger Acuna is also one of the Rangers’ prospects, spending most of his time at shortstop and second baseman. Acuna jumped to Double-A after he dominated High-A early in the season. Although he struggled at first, there are still many things he likes about his game. Acuna’s final numbers from 2022 are strong (.277 BA, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 40 SB, .795 OPS), but it’s clear he still has some work to do in his forward at bat am.

The final prospect in this pool is Cole Ragans, who looks ready for the Majors and will most likely find a spot in the Pirates’ rotation soon. and eventually made it to the majors. His first stint in the majors hasn’t been good (0-3, 4.95 ERA, 27 K, 1.48 WHIP), but it’s clear he has the next potential. We will have a big season in 2023.

These three guys will help build the Pirates’ farm system even further, and the Ragans can even contribute to a major league team in 2023. To Reynolds when I was able to get a package full of prospects like this. It might be a bit of a high price to pay the Rangers, but they’ve made a ton of big moves in the last two offseasons, and landing this big trade for Reynolds could top things off.