Money ball: Pirates fans react to outfielder Bryan Reynolds' $106M contract
It’s early in the season, but things are looking up for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The team signed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to a long-term contract last season. They brought back franchise icon Andrew McCutchen in the offseason. They were in first place entering Tuesday night’s game but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They also signed manager Derek Shelton to a contract extension.
For some, it still wasn’t enough.
Then Tuesday came — and with it a franchise-record $106.75 million, eight-year contract spent on star outfielder Bryan Reynolds, one of the cornerstones of the team.
The contract is “well-deserved,” said Jacob Blondin who came to Pittsburgh from Massachusetts to see Tuesday night’s game with his girlfriend, Lauren Rice.
“Bryan Reynolds is a great player and has been playing well for years,” Blondin said. “His signing shows a commitment by ownership to the fans. The team has been playing great. Let’s hope they can keep this winning streak going.”
Pirates legend Steve Blass happened to be on the North Shore on Tuesday afternoon and offered his opinion on Reynolds’ signing: Bryan Reynolds is baseball.
“I am so happy for the Pirates and so happy for this city,” Blass said. “I love the way he plays. This is wonderful. What more could we ask for? Bryan Reynolds will be a Pirate for a long, long time. The sun is shining, and there’s a baseball game today.”
Blass retired in 2019 after 60 years with the Pirates as a player and broadcaster. The pitching hero of the 1971 World Series has spent time with the team as a special instructor at spring training, and he has what he calls an ambassadorial role for the organization.
As Blass was leaving, Ron Leckey of McCandless asked for his autograph on a T-shirt with an image of Blass. Leckey planned to auction the shirt during a charity event for a friend battling cancer.
“This is so wonderful for this city,” Leckey said of the Reynolds’ signing. “Bryan Reynolds is the real deal. The city should embrace this moment.”
Not everyone is, though.
“Bryan Reynolds is a real good player, but I don’t think he’s worth that amount of money,” said Laurie Auld of Sharon. Auld is a former Natrona resident and was enjoying a drink with her son on Federal Street. “That is a lot of money.”
Her son, Rory Clark of Oakland, disagreed with his mother, who was attending her first Pirates game at PNC Park. Clark said Reynolds is the one who got the team going this season with his hot start at the plate. He said the length of contract — eight years — is important. If it were for four years or less, Clark said, it wouldn’t have been such a great deal.
“This team is on fire,” he said. “(Pirates owner) Bob Nutting is building something here.”
Related:
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• 'It's a win': Andrew McCutchen applauds Pirates for locking up Bryan Reynolds long term
• Here are the Pirates' 10 largest contracts of all time
Justin Richardson of Castle Shannon was wearing a Roberto Clemente jersey. He and his wife, Katie, said buying a jersey of a Hall of Famer is safe because the Pirates in recent decades have traded away players whose jersey you would want to wear. But Richardson said it’s good now to buy a Reynolds jersey.
“This is fantastic,” he said. “It shows that ownership is looking toward the future. They are spending the money to put a good product on the field, and this signing is giving a jolt of energy to this team.”
Reynolds’ contract brings a stability to the team, said Los Angeles native Roshia Furnace of Scott, who who was wearing a Dodgers jersey. He said the Pirates now have the centerpieces in place with Reynolds and Hayes and McCutchen’s leadership.
“We’ve got a foundation,” Furnace said. “It is good to see them winning.”
It is, but it’s early, said Kim Trimble of Brighton Township, Beaver County. Also a Los Angeles native, she said she will wait until the All-Star break to get on the Pirates bandwagon. She noted Reynolds’ contract isn’t that much compared to what other teams pay.
Her husband, Bob Trimble Jr., said he was pleasantly surprised Nutting spent that amount of money. He has been going to Pirates games since their Forbes Field days and always tried to sit in right field to watch Clemente. His father, Bob Sr., and uncle Paul instilled the love of game in him .
“I haven’t felt this good about Pirates baseball in a long, long time,” Trimble said. “My dad and my uncle would love how well the Pirates are doing, and I am loving this, too. I am all in.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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