New York Yankees Hold The Treasure To Nab This Pirate

Amongst the small market teams in the MLB, the Pittsburgh Pirates have never been shy about trading away their future stars. On the other side of the baseball world, the New York Yankees are hardly discreet with their desire to acquire those precious stars.

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Depending on the player, the trade flirtation generally consists of a prolonged game of cat & mouse. However, as pitchers and catchers report less than a month from now, it's time that these two teams consummate the trade that could be that missing piece from the Bronx Bombers next World Series Championship.

Since, early December, general managers around Major League Baseball have been putting packages together to try to pry All Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Of course Brian Cashman is one of those GM's. The Yankees need a player exactly like Reynolds. Over the last two seasons, the switch-hitting, slick gloved outfielder has slugged 51 home runs, scored 167 runs and driven in 152. Prior to the winter meetings this year, the 27 year-old 2nd round draft pick, under team control until 2026, turned down a six-year/$75 million extension from Pittsburgh. Soon after, Reynolds requested a trade.

That was 6 weeks ago. Following the free agent flurry and the holidays, many thought Reynolds would already be in pinstripes. However, the Pirates know that their young outfielder is a star and they want a pirate's ransom in return. In early January, Jon Heyman from nypost.com said that one MLB executive summed up the Pirates' trade requests as: “unrealistic asks.” Heyman reported another front office exec says there’s nothing happening now but they hold hope for spring. Brian Cashman can't wait for other teams, especially when he holds the treasure that the Pirates desire: young, cheap, controllable talent.

The Yankees have infield depth. Either Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza is going to be the Yankees next shortstop. Peraza is one year older. Both have a tremendous upsides. Cashman needs to pick one and include the other in a package to put Bryan Reynolds in left-field, next to Harrison Bader and Aaron Judge. Reynolds, Bader and Judge would form one of the best defensive outfields the Bombers have had in years. Reynolds is a contact hitter with power, good speed and tremendous baseball instincts. He is that missing bat in Aaron Boone's championship line-up card. Nothing comes for free and it's time for the Yankee brass to part with their treasure.