The Miami Marlins were right not to trade for Bryan Reynolds

Neil Raymond

PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 16: Bryan Reynolds #10 of the Pittsburgh Pirates rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning during the game against the New York Mets at PNC Park on July 16, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Last year the Miami Marlins trading for Pittsburgh CF Bryan Reynolds was a popular idea. We thought that it was a good one too. Why wouldn’t it be? Reynolds looked like a great fit for us in CF. It looks like the right move was indeed not paying Pittsburgh’s price.

Bryan Reynolds is not having a good season and the Miami Marlins were right not to acquire him.

Bryan Reynolds was the star of the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. He hit .302/.390/.522 with 24 HR and 90 RBI. He had an 11.6% BB rate and a 18.4 K%. He did however have a -0.3 dWAR, which means that he wasn’t an elite defender. There’s a lack of good center fielders available by trade or free agency, so he seemed to be an excellent option.

The Pittsburgh Pirates wanted a lot from The Fish for Bryan Reynolds. They wanted two of our top prospects: SP Max Meyer and SS Kahlil Watson. Naturally we weren’t interested as those are two of the top prospects in our system, and are potentially going to be better than Reynolds on their own. Pittsburgh was right to demand a lot however as in a CF starved market, setting a premium price on their stud CF made all the sense in the world.

How is Bryan Reynolds doing this season? He’s currently hitting .203/.300/.341 with 4 home runs and 6 RBI in 123 AB. That’s pretty bad. He improved his defense as he currently has a 0.1 dWAR, but that’s about average. The price that Pittsburgh wanted before is even more ridiculous sounding now. Reynolds is just not the star player that the price tag is meant for.

The Miami Marlins made the right decision not to trade for Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds isn’t suitable for CF long-term and isn’t an elite hitter, even if he improves. The Fish need better hitters than him and should not pay anywhere close to the price that Pittsburgh wanted.

Neil Raymond

Neil Raymond has been a lifelong Miami Marlins fan, with the 2003 playoff run being one of his favorite childhood memories. Neil has been called a "walking encyclopedia" for his knowledge of MLB statistics and the sport's history. He follows every game and actually invented his own statistic for player value on his side project BaseballAnalyzed.com. Writing for Fansided's Marlin Maniac since 2022, he also loves Fantasy Baseball and as such is an FSWA member. Neil also loves to travel, read and follow "Futbol" teams: Germany, Argentina, Greece, Inter Miami, Bayern Munich and NYC FC.