Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds shows Yankees what they can’t have ... at least for now
BRADENTON, Fla. — If the Yankees didn’t have another game at their spring training home on Saturday and general manager Brian Cashman had made the hour drive from Tampa to Manatee County, he could have seen one of his winter quests really tee one up.
Batting left, switch-hitting Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds squared up a hanging curve thrown by Yankees starter Ryan Weber for a third-inning home run.
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The distance was impressive, 404 feet.
So was the exit velo, 101.5 mph.
“Good swing,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said with a smile after his Buccos blanked a Yankees split squad 3-0.
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Reynolds’ first and last were at-bats impressive, too, even though the results were hard groundouts to short and third.
“Two left-handed at-bats and a right-handed at-bat … three good swings,” Shelton added.
The Yankees would love to see those kinds of swings with Reynolds wearing pinstripes and manning left field as an upgrade from Aaron Hicks.
Cashman accomplished most of what he wanted to do in the offseason re-signing Aaron Judge for $360 million, bringing in Carlos Rodon for $162 million, bringing back Anthony Rizzo for $40 million.
One notable exception were the Yankees failed attempts to trade for Reynolds, a 2021 All-Star who has three years of team control.
Don’t blame Cashman. As he likes to say, it takes two to tango and the Pirates played hard ball with all suitors because they want to sign a face of their always-rebuilding franchise to an extension. Even though Reynolds asked for a trade in the winter when contract talks weren’t going well, the Pirates were telling everyone that they wouldn’t consider a trade unless they received a king’s ransom in return.
The Bucs supposedly wanted Yankees No. 1 prospect Anthony Volpe and a lot more from the Yankees. That wasn’t happening. Volpe is as close to untouchable as a Yankees prospect has been in many years, maybe decades.
Reynolds, 28, wants to stay in Pittsburgh for the right price, but so far the sides are $54 million apart. Before spring training, Reynolds turned down a six-year, $80-million offer and countered at $134 million for eight seasons.
A Yankees source recently told NJ Advance Media that the Pirates have been telling rival clubs that they plan to continue trying to lock up Reynolds at least until the All-Star break. If nothing is done by then, the Pirates are saying they may be more willing to pull the trigger on a deal at a more reasonable return.
NOTABLE
-- Isiah Kiner-Falefa started at second base for the second day in a row and looked good turning a 5-4-3 double play after taking a throw from third baseman Josh Donaldson, who fielded a chopper behind the bag.
-- After working three shutout innings his first two outings, Weber allowed a lot of hard contact allowing three runs and four hits over 2 2/3 innings. The righty likely start the season in Triple-A, but he’ll be on the radar for a promotion because he very well in his brief call-ups last season, pitching to an 0.84 ERA in five Yankees games.
-- Estevan Florial isn’t hitting his way to a first Opening Day roster spot. On the bubble for an extra outfielder spot, the Dominican was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against the Bucs, leaving him with a .136 spring average. In 11 games, he’s 3-for-22 with one RBI, four steals, two walks and 10 Ks. Out of options, Florial could be DFA’d before final cuts and then either be claimed by another club or wind up in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as a non-roster player.
-- Pitching prospects Jhnony Brito and Randy Vazquez were reassigned to the minor-league camp.
LOOKING AHEAD
Sunday: Yankees at Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla. RHP Yoendrys Gomez vs. TBA.
Monday: Yankees at Twins in Fort Myers, Fla. LHP Tanner Tully vs. TBA.
