Bryan Reynolds’ days are numbered as a Pittsburgh Pirate. It is very unlikely Bryan Reynolds will be playing his baseball games in Pittsburgh after the trading deadline rolls around. The New York Yankees have been “linked” to Bryan Reynolds for two or three seasons. Should the Yankees be all in on Bryan Reynolds?
Bryan Reynolds is a multi-tooled outfielder. Reynolds has been one of the few bright spots on the Pittsburgh Pirates 40 man roster, a franchise that hasn’t had much to celebrate over the past thirty years. He’s a really good player. He has assets that would be beneficial to this team.
The Yankees are a team that really needs to win a World Series. They are desperate for a left field left-handed bat. In theory, Reynolds is the perfect fit. He’s a switch hitter which provides a lefty presence. He’s a really good outfielder that would plug a gaping hole in left field.
What gives me hesitation is the expectation that will come with Bryan Reynolds being traded to the Yankees.
The Yankees will need to put together a package of top prospects to pry Reynolds from the Pirates. The Pittsburgh Pirates current General Manager, and former Red Sox General Manager, Ben Cherington is asking for a haul for a team to obtain Reynolds. The Yankees are likely parting with Anthony Volpe and/or Jaason Dominguez, as well as other top prospects just to be in the running to pull off this deal.
Most fans will think parting with prospects, even the coveted Anthony Volpe, to ensure this trade will be worth it, however the magnitude of the deal puts immediate pressure on Bryan Reynolds.
This isn’t normal pressure, this is Bronx, New York pressure. Yankees fans aren’t known for our patience.
Bryan Reynolds would be coming in as “the guy” to push the Yankees past those cheaters down in Houston. That is serious New York pressure.
Bryan Reynolds has been a solid player in his career. Is he a guy that can push the Yankees past Houston?
Reynolds is coming out of Pittsburgh. He’s been a big fish in a small pond his whole career. He’s never really even played in an important MLB game. Now he is playing for a team that is supposed to win the World Series. This year. Immediate pressure.
He’s going to come into New York with expectations. Struggling isn’t an option.
“How much time does this guy need to adjust?”
“We gave up Volpe for this guy?”
“Why isn’t Cabrera starting in left field?”
Is Reynolds the type of guy that can keep calm and steady under this pressure? That pressure has cracked numerous Yankees over the years. We’ve seen it happen before but it’s been getting worse and worse over the past few years.
That is the real problem, the fans are so frustrated with the lack of success, we’ve been taking it out too much. We’ve gone too far, at times.
It’s the Bronx, we’re going to boo, but the fact that we have to ask the question, “can this guy handle the heat he’s about to be under?” before bringing in a solid player actually hampers the team.
I don’t expect this to change and I’m not saying Yankees fans should act differently. (I want to make that really clear before Luke tries to misquote me). It’s just one of those things that needs to be considered before the Yankees pull off a massive deal to bring in Bryan Reynolds.
And just for the heck of it. Let’s take sit back and enjoy a moment from 2022