MLB Rumors: Bryan Reynolds, Pirates Contract Talks Stuck on Opt-out Clause

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Bryan Reynolds are still talking about a contract extension, but there is one key detail being discussed that is preventing the two sides from reaching an agreement.

Per The Athletic's Rob Biertempfel, Reynolds wants the deal to include an opt-out but the Pirates "have traditionally been opposed to that type of clause" in their contracts.

Biertempfel did note both parties have agreed on a lot of key details, including a financial package worth about $106 million, and Reynolds is willing to have a lot of the money back loaded to give the Pirates more financial wiggle room early in the deal.

Even though nothing has been finalized right now, this at least represents a significant step forward from where things seemed to be during the offseason.

Per a December report from Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Reynolds requested a trade from the Pirates.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network noted at the time that contract talks were at an "impasse," prompting Reynolds to make his trade request.

A $106 million commitment would be, by far, the largest contract in Pirates' history. The current record is the eight-year, $70 million deal signed by Ke'Bryan Hayes in April 2022.

According to Biertempfl, Hayes' extension led to Reynolds feeling "snubbed" by the organization because he had more service time and had produced at the MLB level for the time.

Reynolds has been one of the few Pirates players worth paying attention to since he was called up in 2019. The 28-year-old finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .314/.377/.503 with 16 homers in 134 games.

After a rough second year during the 60-game season in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Reynolds made his first All-Star team in 2021 after posting a .912 OPS and 24 homers.

He hit .262/.345/.461 with a career-high 27 home runs and 62 RBI in 145 games last season.

The Pirates have been a non-competitive franchise throughout Reynolds' career thus far. They have lost at least 100 games in each of the past two seasons and haven't won more than 40 percent of their games since 2019.

Pittsburgh opened the season with a 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. It will play six consecutive road games before its home opener on April 7 against the Chicago White Sox.