The Los Angeles Dodgers are 40-27, but could be looking for a new outfielder near the trade deadline. Could they swing a blockbuster trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates?
The Pirates are poised to be sellers at the trade deadline, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale recently revealed that they are listening to trades on all of their players, not named Paul Skenes or Oneil Cruz.
“The Pittsburgh Pirates are flatly rebuking all interest from teams wanting to engage in trade talks for ace Paul Skenes, but will listen to offers on every other player but him and outfielder Oneil Cruz,” wrote Nightengale. “Two intriguing players are third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and outfielder Bryan Reynolds. They were each expected to become cornerstone pieces of the franchise and both have struggled, with the Pirates expected to put them on the market at the trade deadline. Reynolds is in the third year of an eight-year, $106.75 million deal, the largest in club history.
Reynolds could be a fit for the Dodgers to replace Michael Conforto. Conforto is hitting .170 and has started 56 games for the Dodgers. The team has Hyeseong Kim to deploy in the outfield, but his defense is a work in progress out there. Reynolds is having a down year at the plate, hitting just .238. However, he is a two-time All-Star and has a career OPS of .812. Dodgers Nation’s Gabe Smallson tabbed Reynolds as a target for the Dodgers.
“If the Dodgers wanted to bet on his bat coming around, he would be an obvious upgrade over Michael Conforto,” wrote Smallson. “However, Conforto is on the hook for just this year, while Reynolds is halfway through a major contract.”
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Reynolds signed an eight-year, $106 million deal in 2023. The Dodgers would be banking on him to find his swing again to make up for his subpar defense. In his last 21 games, Reynolds is hitting .338 with three home runs, 19 RBIs and an OPS of .981. He is starting to look like himself, but the reality is that even in a slump, he would be better than Conforto.
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