Dan O’Dowd, a former general manager for the Colorado Rockies, pitched a trade that would send Bryan Reynolds from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the St. Louis Cardinals.
If the Bucs do trade away prized outfielder Bryan Reynolds, it will be for a trade package which includes multiple top prospects. There is no denying that, as several market insiders have suggested the Pirates want a ‘Juan Soto-like trade package’ for Reynolds, even if they won’t receive it.
Bryan Reynolds is not Juan Soto, but he is a young, controllable All-Star level outfielder who can play all three OF spots. There is a reason he is in demand, and he’s arguably the best player available on the trade market right now.
Pirates shouldn’t trade Bryan Reynolds to the Cardinals
Even after demanding out in Pittsburgh, the Pirates hold the cards. They don’t have to trade him by any means, but they’d be dumb not to listen. However, they’d perhaps be even more dumb to take Dan O’Dowd’s trade package.
Cardinals Get
OF, Bryan Reynolds
Pirates Get
LHP, Matthew Liberatore
OF, Dylan Carlson
OF, Alec Burleson
Trades within the same division rarely work out, but if the Bucs are to make such a deal, it should include Nolan Gorman or Jordan Walker, at the very least.
Walker is the Cards’ top prospect and he is likely the starting point for any and all Bryan Reynolds trade negotiations. St. Louis would understandably hope to keep him out of talks, but acquiring a player like Reynolds is not easy.
In this trade, the Cardinals would keep their top-3 prospects, while also dealing their No. 4 prospect (Liberatore) and No. 5 prospect (Burleson). Dylan Carlson is a former top prospect and a respectable outfielder who can fill in for Reynolds now.
If the Pirates are indeed demanding a ransom, then this trade will not get it done. St. Louis has the luxury of five top-100 prospects per MLB Pipeline. Carlson is coming off a down season in which he slashed just .236/.316/.380. Liberatore left much to be desired in his first MLB action, and he’s already 23 years old. At 24, Burleson hit under the Mendoza line in 16 games, so his first big-league cup of coffee didn’t go as planned, either.
This isn’t to say any of those players are bad, they’re just not enough to get the ball moving given what Pittsburgh is demanding in return at the moment.