As the offseason has officially entered the new year, the Los Angeles Dodgers still remain determined to fill an outfield-sized vacancy at the center field position.
With the non-tender of Cody Bellinger and miss on signing Kevin Kiermaier, Los Angeles has seemingly turned to the trade market as they look for a new center fielder.
Amongst all the possible options, perhaps there is no better candidate than 2021 All-Star Bryan Reynolds, who requested a trade from the rebuilding Pittsburgh Pirates in early December.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Dodgers have held trade talks with the Pirates for Reynolds:
They’d prefer to trade for one and are one of the many teams that have been involved in trade talks with the Pirates regarding Bryan Reynolds.
Reynolds, a 6’3″ product of Vanderbilt University, has spent all four seasons of his Major League career as a member of the Pirates. A career .281 hitter, he backed up a strong 2021 campaign by finishing ranked amongst the top 10 National League outfielders in hits, home runs, average, slugging and on-base plus slugging across 145 games in 2022.
Reynolds’ 27 home runs last season were a career high.
While the Dodgers could offer the center field job to a player like Trayce Thompson, or James Outman, a trade for Reynolds would add another All-Star and talented switch-hitter into their lineup.
Dodgers prospect Bobby Miller mentioned in possible Bryan Reynolds trade talks
Currently ranked as the Dodgers’ second-best prospect, 23-year-old pitcher Bobby Miller has been linked to trade talks as a potential chip to head to Pittsburgh if a deal should arise for Reynolds.
Miller, who spent most of his 2022 season with Double-A Tulsa and finished the year making three starts with a 3.38 ERA for Triple-A Oklahoma City, was originally taken by L.A. with the 29th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.
While Miller is an electric right-hander with a high ceiling, fellow pitching prospect Gavin Stone has also garnered some conversation within the trade rumors.
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