The Pirates Have Finally Extended Bryan Reynolds As They Dish Out Their First $100 Million Contract In Franchise History

Julio Aguilar. Getty Images.

Pittsburgh Pirates fans don't get a whole lot of joy from their team. About every 15 years they stumble upon a playoff team that competes for like three seasons before tapering off and going back into irrelevancy. They're typically just a major league farm system for the rich, ran by an owner who has no business being in the sport. Bob Nutting is normally viewed as a war criminal in the city

But today is cause for celebration 

Locking up your franchise player who requested a trade in the offseason is a major W. Giving out the first $100 million contract in team history is definitely sad, but hey it's big news! 

For a while it seemed like Bryan Reynolds was destined to be traded elsewhere. Officially requesting a trade in the offseason seemed to be the final straw, but hey they figured it out. Reynolds came down on his monetary demands as the Pirates threw in a no trade clause in compromise to the opt out he initially wanted. For a guy of Reynolds' caliber that deal is a no brainer and very much team friendly, even if they pretend to cry poor. Reynolds just turned 28, has a career OPS+ of 128, plays good defense, and hits from both sides of the plate. That's the kind of guy you want to lock up for the foreseeable future. 

Clear the fucking deck Pirates fans, you just got the news you've been waiting on for several years AND your team is 16-7 to begin the season. In a few days the calendar will turn to May and you'll have meaningful baseball on your television. 

Listen is this early success sustainable from Pittsburgh? I don't expect a .696 winning percentage to continue, but just enjoy this shit. The pitching staff performance from guys like Mitch Keller, Vince Velasquez, and Johan Oviedo so far has been outstanding. David Bednar has been outstanding closing games out. Cutch almost has a .900 OPS at the plate. All of that has resulted in a 16-7 record through 23 games. Just ride the wave folks and keep raising that Jolly Roger. 

I'll miss scrapping together a fake proposed trade for Reynolds at the deadline. Instead I've got Aaron Hicks!