Bryan Reynolds wants out of Pittsburgh and could be a great fit with the Cleveland Guardians

Could the Cleveland Guardians land Bryan Reynolds in a trade?

In a lot of ways, Bryan Reynolds reminds me of a very young, pre-steroid Barry Bonds. Minus the incredible base-stealing ability. Both are around the .270-.280 mark as hitters, both are 20-home runs a year type of guys, and both are/were playing outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates at a time when they were the only offense the team had.

Now, both are likely to be ex-Pirates. While Bonds left the team via free agency back in the early 90s, Reynolds is looking for a trade out of Pittsburgh and it seems likely it’d happen considering the team is in full-blown rebuild mode.

The Guardians are a team that doesn’t necessarily need another outfielder, but like I’ve written about before when it comes to Michael Brantley, another outfielder wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Especially with the ability to move Oscar Gonzalez to the designated hitter slot in the lineup. This would mean that Josh Naylor remains at first, while Steven Kwan and Myles Straw take left and center. That would leave right field totally open for Reynolds.

What would it take for the Cleveland Guardians to land Bryan Reynolds

Right off the bat, I think you need to consider someone like Will Brennan or Will Benson. The same could be said for Bryan Lavastida, or Richie Palacios. Any combination of the four would work, though preferably we keep Brennan. You’d have to at least give up three names minimum in the Top 50 of your prospect pool.

The steep price makes sense when you factor in that Reynolds has three years of controllability left as well. Plus he’d enter the best lineup he’s ever been with. Probably hitting behind Ames Rosario (if he’s still here), and in front of Jose Ramirez.

His numbers should increase but expecting anything more than 30 home runs would be a pipe dream, that just isn’t who he is as a hitter. He’s got to cut down on his strikeouts, but if he can do that, in a very hitter-friendly park like Progressive Field, then both Reynolds and the Guardians could see unparalleled success.