Ben Cherington recalled a story about another general manager who had done the job longer than he has, and by his assessment, was more accomplished. The GM was once asked what the secret was. What does he look for in players?
The answer was simple: You have to find players you trust. It may not always be that simple, but fundamentally, it's true.
"At a basic level we trust Bryan because of what he’s already done," Cherington said. "We trust him because of the way he plays. We trust him because of the choices he makes on and off the field. We trust him because we know how hard he’s working to continue to get better all the time. We trust his focus. We trust his toughness. Not only does that show up on the field, but that showed up through this process. Bryan himself demonstrated focus and toughness through this process.
"For all those reasons, we trust Bryan."
On Wednesday, both sides celebrated that mutual trust. Reynolds in believing this team is heading in the right direction and can win, the Pirates in that Reynolds is going to be a big part of that winning. And that trust took the form of an eight-year, $106.75 million contract, the largest in the franchise's history.
Reynolds has long expressed his desire to stay in Pittsburgh, even during spring training after the most eventful winter of his professional career. With his wife, Blair, in the seating area at the press conference with their two young sons, Reese and Brooks, playing alongside his parents, Greg and Michelle, Reynolds knows this is officially his second home.
No need to check the rumors or with team execs to make sure he isn't getting traded. He's a Pirate for the long-term.
"I love it here," Reynolds said. "I’ve been saying it for years. My family has made this our home away from home. Both of our crazy little boys have been born here, so a little piece of us will always be here. So it’s nice that we know where we’re going to be for a long time, so just a ‘thank you’ to everybody.
"I’m really excited about what we’re building, what the team can be and what we’re already doing and just what the future holds.”
That secured future means he no longer has to try to separate what is happening off the field with what happens between the chalk lines. It was something he appeared to be doing well, which his teammates greatly appreciated.
But internally, it wasn't so cut and dry.
"I think every time I stepped on the field, I was focused on the task at hand, but there’s always that little piece in the back of your mind that’s thinking about it," Reynolds said. "I’d be a liar if I said it didn’t weigh a little bit on me. I’m pumped to have the situation resolved and be resolved in this manner to where we’re all sitting up here together and talking about the future.”
Speaking about not being so cut and dry, that process to get from initial talks to sitting at this podium announcing this deal ...
“It seemed perfectly smooth and easy to me, Ben," Bob Nutting joked.
"Yeah, I don’t know what you're talking about," Cherington quipped back.
OK, it's finally alright to joke about the journey to get here. One that started with both sides being more than $50 million apart from their initial offers before eventually landing very close to the middle. There was quite the quest to get to that destination though, including a trade request before the winter meetings, a last-second request for a player opt-out and missing a deadline to get the deal done by opening day.
But even when the negotiations looked like they had hit a wall, that trust that Reynolds wanted this deal too was worth keeping the conversation going.
"He’s the one who kept all of us motivated to keep coming back and trying to figure this out," Cherington said. "I really think that’s the answer. Not everything worth doing is easy. It’s not supposed to be. Some things worth doing are hard and that’s okay. You still keep working at it because it’s worth doing."
The trade request would end up being just a play to create urgency for a deal to get done. At the time, though, it looked serious and that Reynolds' time with the Pirates was not going to have a happy ending. At least it did externally.
"While he [made] the trade request, I really believe that his long-term goal was to be a part of this organization," Nutting said. "I think he believes the organization is one he wants to buy into, sell out to and lead. So, really, it was a response to Bryan's desire, packaged with [the fact that] he’s a really good baseball player. He's a good human being. He's the kind of a person we can make a long-term commitment to."
Nutting made sure to let Bryan know that during private conversations with Reynolds during spring training. He took it upon himself to help repair the relationship between the player and the team, something that Reynolds was "really important to the whole situation."
“We were able to share things about where we were at," Reynolds said. "But the main thing is that we both had the same ultimate desire and I think once we realized that, we realized that this was something that needed to get done.”
It was still Cherington and senior vice president of baseball operations Bryah Stroh who did the heavy lifting to get the job done, but Nutting helped rebuild the trust between club and player
"I still see my primary role as supporting Ben and his team," Nutting said. "A part of that support, given where we are as a franchise, is being able to project and convince and let these players know that I believe we're headed in a good direction. They have to have faith in the organization, whether it's Andrew [McCutchen] or whether it's whether it's Bryan; they’re making a real commitment to stay Pittsburgh Pirates."
That commitment goes both ways. When asked about what's next in regard to extensions and building the team, Nutting responded, "we’re not done. To a great degree, we’re just getting started."
"We saw real success nearly a decade ago now," Nutting said. "It's been far too long. It's time for us to get back. We've had a plan. It's been challenging the last few years, but it's been a building window and we've made real progress. We're seeing the tangible results of that progress. I look forward to seeing where we're headed."
This rebuild has been built on having players and staff buy into the process of player development and getting better with time. They are seeing some early returns for that this year, starting 16-8.
Having Reynolds locked up long-term is just as important for the long-term success of the franchise.
"It’s definitely tangible proof that it’s trust," Derek Shelton said. "To be able to commit that amount of years, that amount of money to a player, yes, that’s really important. It’s really important that our players see it. I think it’s really important that the industry sees that there is something that we outlined and we are following through with it."
Reynolds ventured outside of his normal comfort zone being on that podium Wednesday. He also is wickedly, dryly witty, starting his portion of the opening statements with, "now the fun part." His teammates watching from the back of the room chuckled at that one.
They know that's Bryan. They also know how hard he plays. It's why Reynolds is looked at as a leader of the team. He's someone to emulate.
So does anything change now that he is cemented as a true face of the franchise?
“I’m still going to just be the same old Bryan," he said, getting more chuckles. "I’m going to go out there, play hard and do what I can do to help us win some baseball games.”
