Pittsburgh Pirates

It's rare that a managerial move should serve as a mission statement for a team's entire offseason, but the Chicago Cubs seemed to throw down a gauntlet when they hired Craig Counsell.

If Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and owner Tom Ricketts really want to prove they are serious about making the Cubs live up to their status as one of the marquee franchises in MLB, they need to go all-in with a pursuit of Shohei Ohtani.

The Cubs hired Counsell away from the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers by making him the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball on a five-year deal worth more than $40 million.

The New York Yankees could look at the trade market to continue to upgrade their roster after making their big moves in free agency.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Yankees are among the teams that have contacted the Pittsburgh Pirates to discuss a trade for Bryan Reynolds.

Morosi noted the Yankees could be at a disadvantage in trade talks for Reynolds because they don't have a lot of high-quality starting pitching in their system, and the Pirates prefer starters if they deal the 27-year-old outfielder.

With the Pirates mired in a perpetual state of rebuilding, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Dec. 3 that Reynolds requested a trade.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, the Pirates offered Reynolds a contract extension that would have made him the highest-paid player in team history.

It's not a high bar to clear. Ke'Bryan Hayes' eight-year, $70 million extension signed in April is the richest deal the Pirates have ever given out, and it pales in comparison to how much money players have commanded in free agency this offseason

Hayes signed his extension when he was five years away from free agency. Reynolds is under team control for three more years before hitting free agency after the 2025 season.

The Pirates said in a statement that Reynolds' trade request will have "zero impact" on their decision-making process and that they "look forward to him having a great season for the Pirates."

Using MLB.com's rankings for the 2022 season, the Yankees' top seven prospects are all position players. Right-hander Will Warren is the top pitcher in the system, but he faces questions about his viability as a starter because of the quality of his secondary stuff.

The Yankees addressed two big problems in free agency. They retained reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge by signing him to a nine-year, $360 million contract, and they added Carlos Rodón to their starting rotation on a six-year, $162 million deal.

Outfield depth is still a question mark in the Bronx. Harrison Bader is a good defensive center fielder, but he only hit .250/.294/.356 in 86 games between the Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals in 2022.

Reynolds has become one of the best offensive center fielders in baseball since making his MLB debut in 2019. He ranks fifth among players at the position in FanGraphs' wins above replacement (12.5) over the past four seasons. Mike Trout, George Springer, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Starling Marte are the only players ahead of him.

In 493 career games, Reynolds owns a .281/.361/.481 slash line with 74 homers and 239 RBI.

The Pittsburgh Pirates reportedly have a massive price tag in mind for teams interested in center fielder Bryan Reynolds, who has requested a trade.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that news Sunday.

"Yes, the Pirates are willing to entertain moving center fielder Bryan Reynolds, if only because clubs are almost always willing to listen to trade offers. Teams interested in Reynolds, however, say the price tag is similar to what it was in the past—exceedingly high.

"One rival official, in what surely was an exaggeration, said the Pirates want a 'Soto-type package' for Reynolds. Another said Reynolds is 'super expensive.' A third described him as 'unlikely to move.'"

The Soto-type package remark is in reference to last season's blockbuster deal between the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres, which sent star outfielder Juan Soto to California alongside first baseman Josh Bell for six players, including veteran first baseman Luke Voit, some recently promoted top prospects (CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore) and ones waiting for their call-up (Robert Hassell III, James Wood, Jarlin Susana).

Hassell and Wood are No. 22 and 34 on the latest MLB prospect rankings. Gore and Abrams were sixth and eighth on the 2021 list, respectively.

Rosenthal made clear that the executive's remarks were "surely an exaggeration," and it's highly unlikely that the Pirates would get a deal like that in return for Reynolds.

Soto already has a trio of top-10 MVP finishes and two All-Star Game appearances, and he's just entering his age-24 season.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette initially reported news of Reynolds' trade request.

Per sources, Bryan Reynolds has requested a trade from the Pirates.

Some context: Motive is unclear at this point. It also doesn't sound like the Pirates are immediately moving to ship off Reynolds. Letting offseason play out as it otherwise would.

— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) December 3, 2022

Jon Heyman of the New York Post added context.

Extension negotiations between Pirates and Bryan Reynolds are at an “impasse,” causing Reynolds to request a trade. Word is Pirates still not planning to deal him. Many teams — including the Mets, Giants, Yankees, Rays — could use the star CF. @ByRobertMurray 1st on request

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 3, 2022

The Pirates confirmed Reynolds' trade request publicly and suggested they didn't plan to adhere to the ask.

"While it is disappointing, this will have zero impact on our decision-making this off-season or in the future. Our goal is to improve the Pirates for 2023 and beyond. With three years until he hits free agency, Bryan remains a key member of our team. We look forward to him having a great season for the Pirates."

Reynolds, who turns 28 years old in January, has played for the Pirates for all four of his MLB seasons. He earned his first All-Star Game appearance in 2021 and followed that up with 27 home runs, 62 RBI and a .262 batting average (.807 OPS). At this time, he isn't eligible to become a free agent until after the 2025 season.

Major League Baseball conducted a draft lottery for the first time in league history Tuesday, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are the first beneficiaries of that process.

We will select 1st overall in the 2023 MLB Draft! pic.twitter.com/fHNpobdFGM

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) December 7, 2022

The top six in this year's draft order were decided via the lottery system. The Pirates, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics round out the top six for the draft, which will occur in Seattle in July at a to-be-determined date.

The Pirates, Nationals and Athletics entered the draft with equal 16.5 percent chances to earn the No. 1 spot by virtue of finishing with the three worst win-loss records in the bigs last year.

Every other non-playoff team received decreasing chances of securing the No. 1 spot based on their records, from the 62-100 Cincinnati Reds (13.25 percent) to the 86-76 Milwaukee Brewers (0.23 percent).

Here's a look at how the first round of this year's draft shakes out alongside a look at some of the top prospects right now.

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2023 MLB Draft (Round 1 Order)

1. Pittsburgh Pirates

2. Washington Nationals

3. Detroit Tigers

4. Texas Rangers

5. Minnesota Twins

6. Oakland Athletics

7. Cincinnati Reds

8. Kansas City Royals

9. Colorado Rockies

10. Miami Marlins

11. Los Angeles Angels

12. Arizona Diamondbacks

13. Chicago Cubs

14. Boston Red Sox

15. Chicago White Sox

16. San Francisco Giants

17. Baltimore Orioles

18. Milwaukee Brewers

19. Tampa Bay Rays

20. Toronto Blue Jays

21. St. Louis Cardinals

22. New York Mets

23. Seattle Mariners

24. Cleveland Guardians

25. Atlanta Braves

26. Los Angeles Dodgers

27. San Diego Padres

28. New York Yankees

29. Philadelphia Phillies

30. Houston Astros

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Ole Miss SS Jacob Gonzalez

FanGraphs lists Gonzalez as its top 2023 draft prospect and it's easy to see why. The 6'2", 200-pound Gonzalez broke out for the Rebels in 2021 with a .355 batting average (1.005 OPS) alongside 12 home runs, 55 RBI, 73 runs and 16 doubles in 67 games.

He sports incredible power for a middle infielder, and FanGraphs likes his defensive skillset too.

"Gonzalez's hands, actions, quick transfer, internal clock, and arm accuracy all make him a likely plus defensive shortstop despite lacking big speed/range," FanGraphs' report reads.

His average dropped to .273 in 2022, but Gonzalez notably smacked 18 home runs alongside a .963 OPS in 65 games en route to leading the Rebels to their first national championship.

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LSU OF Dylan Crews

Perfect Game has LSU outfielder Crews as its "consensus top prospect," with Isaiah Burrows writing that he has "an advanced offensive skill set and top-of-the-class exit velocities" as well as "a rare blend of floor and ceiling."

The 6'1", 203-pound Crews hit .349 (1.153 OPS) with 22 home runs and 72 RBI in just 62 games for the Tigers. He averaged nearly three total bases per game (172) and over one run per outing (73).

That campaign followed up an excellent 2021 season, where he hit .362 with 18 homers and 42 RBI alongside a 1.116 OPS. He'll turn 21 years old in February.

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Tennessee RHP Chase Dollander

Tennessee right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander is widely considered the top pitching prospect available in 2023, but Prospects Live went one step further and listed him as the No. 1 player overall in this year's pool.

"Pretty much the complete package and the argument can be made he's the best college pitching prospect in over a decade," the Prospects Live Staff wrote.

The 21-year-old Dollander went 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA (0.80 WHIP) and 108 strikeouts in 79.0 innings for Tennessee. He transferred to the Vols after one year at Georgia Southern.

The SEC Pitcher of the Year and near-consensus First Team All-American stands at 6'3" and 192 pounds.

Center fielder Bryan Reynolds has requested to be traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Reynolds made the request because contract extension talks between the two sides have reached an "impasse."

Pirates offered to make Reynolds the highest paid Pirate in team history by total $, which means more than Ke’Bryan Hayes’ $70M deal. That says something, but fairly, not that much since Reynolds has much more service time and is a more accomplished big leaguer.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 3, 2022

Mackey reported there is no indication that the Pirates will move quickly to deal him.

The 27-year-old Reynolds, who was a National League All-Star in 2021, signed a two-year, $13.5 million extension with the Pirates in April and is under team control through 2025.

Mackey tweeted a statement released by the Pirates regarding Reynolds, with the team suggesting it has no plans to deal him:

"While it is disappointing, this will have zero impact on our decision-making this off-season or in the future. Our goal is to improve the Pirates for 2023 and beyond. With three years until he hits free agency, Bryan remains a key member of our team. We look forward to him having a great season for the Pirates."

The San Francisco Giants selected Reynolds in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft, and the Pirates acquired him in a trade of Andrew McCutchen in 2018. He made his debut in 2019 and has been a full-time player for the team since.

After hitting .314 with an .880 OPS and finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2019, Reynolds fell off significantly in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign, hitting just .189 in 55 games.

The switch-hitter bounced back with the best season of his career in 2021, slashing .302/.390/.522 with 24 home runs and career highs of 90 RBI, 93 runs and eight triples.

Reynolds was named an All-Star for the first time, and he finished 11th in NL MVP voting.

Reynolds' slash line dropped to .262/.345/.461 last season, but he clubbed a career-high 27 homers and finished with 62 RBI, 74 runs and a career-high seven stolen bases as well.

The Pirates struggled as a team, losing 100 games for the second straight season and missing the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.

Reynolds was by far Pittsburgh's most productive offensive player, and dealing him would likely send the Pirates even deeper into a rebuild.

They aren't obligated to trade him, but Reynolds would likely land a bigger return than anyone else on the roster, so they figure to at least entertain the idea of moving him for prospects.

Bryan Reynolds' name continues to pop up in trade rumors, though it's not a given the Pittsburgh Pirates will trade the All-Star centerfielder.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Pirates are willing to listen to offers for Reynolds, but it "remains unlikely" he will be moved this offseason.

It's not a surprise to see Reynolds' name pop up in trade rumors. There were rumblings he could be moved during the season before the trade deadline, but the Pirates elected to hang on to him.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported in July that the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins did "not stop calling" the Pirates about Reynolds.

Reynolds could bring back a huge return to Pittsburgh if the team decided to make a deal. The 27-year-old has a .281/.361/.481 slash line with 74 homers and 239 RBI in 493 career games.

With the exception of the 2020 season that was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reynolds has had a 126 OPS+ in each of his three full years in the big leagues. He ranks fifth among all centerfielders in FanGraphs wins above replacement since 2019 (12.5).

Mike Trout (19.1), George Springer (14.8), Ronald Acuña Jr. (14.3) and Starling Marte (13.2) are the only players ahead of Reynolds on the fWAR list over the past four seasons.

Rather than trying to trade him, Reynolds should be a player the Pirates look to build around. He has three years of team control remaining before hitting free agency after the 2025 season.

Pittsburgh has a promising farm system that MLB.com ranked No. 7 overall in August. Oneil Cruz and Roansy Contreras graduated from prospect status last season and both have tremendous potential. Nick Gonzales, Henry Davis and Mike Burrows are among the top players in the system who could get called up in 2023.

The Pirates have lost 100 games in back-to-back seasons and fans have been outraged for years with how cheap owner Robert Nutting has been with spending on the roster. Trading the best player they have wouldn't do anything to help repair the already fractured relationship.

The Pittsburgh Pirates aren't taking Dennis Eckersley's criticisms lightly.

Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds told reporters he "couldn't give any less of a crap" about Eckersley's comments after the Hall of Famer closer called the Pittsburgh lineup "a hodgepodge of nothingness" during a broadcast Tuesday night.

“You talk about a no-name lineup. There’s no team like this,” said Eckersley, who serves as a commentator for Boston Red Sox games. “I'd love to see some of the service time. Add it all up, it's not much. ... This is a hodgepodge of nothingness. It’s ridiculous. It really is. Pathetic."

Eckersley's comments seemed more of a dig at the Pirates organization than the players themselves. The Pirates rank 28th in payroll and have only three players on their roster (Reynolds, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Roberto Perez) who are making more than $2 million this season. Reynolds in only one of those three players currently on the roster, with Hayes and Perez both on the injured list.

Criticism of Pirates management's complete lack of desire to field a winning product is anything but new. The city of Pittsburgh has been in a near-revolt over owner Robert Nutting's penny-pinching for years, giving him the nickname "Bottom-Line Bob." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial Board wrote an article calling on Nutting to sell the team.

That's almost unheard of in sports.

So while Pirates players are more than used to criticism of the organization, Eckersley's tone was unfortunate. Rather than rightfully calling out the Pirates organization, it seemed like he was taking aim at players who are simply doing their best in a bad situation. Eckersley is also not a regular member of the media; he's a decorated former closer who has been in a clubhouse and should have known how players in the dugout would take his comments.

"We're in a fraternity, right? The MLBPA. We're a group of a certain, select amount of people. We're told to back up everyone from Day 1. We're a team. We're a collective unit. He's in the Hall of Fame," Pirates pitcher Wil Crowe told reporters.

"He's one of us. It's just surprising that a guy of his stature — where he's from, what he knows goes on in the game — to be one of even fewer than just in the PA, kind of come after us, was kind of crazy. think it was kind of crappy and bush league."

Eckersley will be back in the broadcast Wednesday night for another Pirates-Red Sox matchup, so we'll have to see if he responds to the pushback.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro has been suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount for violating MLB policy when he took the field with a cellphone.

The phone slipped out of Castro's back pocket when he slid into third base during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 9.

His phone fell out of his pocket mid-game 😭 @BRWalkoff

(via @BALLYSPORTSAZ)https://t.co/yJ5Z00HemX

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 10, 2022

"I don't think there's any professional ballplayer that would ever go out there with any intentions of taking a cellphone," Castro said through an interpreter, via ESPN. "It's horrible it happened to me. Obviously, it was very unintentional."

Per The Athletic, "Castro was in violation of Major League Baseball’s regulation prohibiting electronic devices on the field or in the dugout, except for league-approved iPads."

Castro, 23, made his major league debut in April 2021.

In 27 games this season, he is hitting .239 with a .702 OPS, two home runs and five RBI.

He appealed MLB's decision, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Rodolfo Castro is appealing his one-game suspension. Some executives wondered whether it warranted a longer suspension -- cell phones being potentially excellent vehicles to cheat, this MLB's chance to say: don't. MLB clearly believed Castro's explanation that it was an accident.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 16, 2022

As noted by Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he can play during the appeal.

Castro had just spent two months in Triple-A before getting called back up. The cellphone incident occurred in his first game.

He's played well in his latest stint with a .381 batting average and 1.171 OPS in 22 plate appearances.

It isn't Juan Soto, but the St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly adding a notable piece to their roster Monday ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

St. Louis acquired left-hander Jose Quintana and reliever Chris Stratton from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-hander Johan Oviedo and infielder Malcom Nunez, according to Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported a deal was close.

Such a move would keep the southpaw within the National League Central and give St. Louis some starting pitching depth ahead of the stretch run.

While Jim Bowden of CBS Sports reported the Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres "all improved their offers" in the effort to land Soto from the Washington Nationals, acquiring Quintana addresses an area of need.

After all, Jack Flaherty hasn't pitched since June 26, and Steven Matz is out with a knee injury.

That will make catching the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central all the more difficult, even if the division leaders traded closer Josh Hader to the Padres on Monday. Milwaukee is three games ahead of the Cardinals.

Quintana, who was an All-Star in 2016 as a member of the Chicago White Sox, at least provides some much-needed starting pitching depth as St. Louis attempts to make up that deficit.

He has a 3.50 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 89 strikeouts in 103.0 innings this season, which is a drastic improvement from the 6.43 ERA he posted last year for the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants.

The veteran has pitched for the White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Giants and Pirates in his career and seemed to be well on his way to stardom when he finished his first five seasons with a post-4.00 ERA.

Yet he has not finished a season with an ERA below 4.00 since he was an All-Star in 2016.

Quintana seems to be back on track this season, and the Cardinals hope that continues after this move.