Tim Benz: Derek Shelton not worried about Bryan Reynolds' trade request — nor should he be

As much hand-wringing as there is over the trade request of Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds, it could prove to be somewhat of a benefit.

For everybody involved.

Well, for the short term, anyway.

If Reynolds truly wants out of Pittsburgh, the most effective way to do that is to play his best baseball. Make it impossible for general manager Ben Cherington to turn down what would surely be increasingly good trade offers for a solid player performing at a high level.

That kind of performance would be good for Reynolds individually and for the Pirates in terms of — theoretical — wins.

Then, for Cherington, if he is just holding out for a trade inquiry they deem to be worthy enough, All-Star level play for Reynolds will certainly augment those offers.

And for Pirates fans and media on Twitter, there are few things they seem to love more than selling anyone who will listen on how great every batch of prospects the franchise gets in a trade for a good player will eventually be when the franchise “truly intends to compete in (arbitrarily fill in the blank number of) years.”

The only guy who may not be thrilled about all of this is Pirates manager Derek Shelton. He’s the one who may soon be handed the responsibility of filling out a lineup card without his best player on it.

Whether it’s someday soon or perhaps before the trade deadline this summer.

More sports

• First Call: Pittsburgh products impact AFC, NFC title games; Steelers fans mock Mayor Gainey's tweet congratulating Eagles
• Madden Monday: 'Last 2 Pens general managers have been goalies, and the goaltending is in shambles'
• Slumping Penguins vow to utilize their lengthy break

While Shelton would also be a beneficiary of good output from Reynolds if the motivation to get out of town spurs the centerfielder to a hot start in 2023, he’s also the one who may have to deal with an unhappy player over the next few months.

Although speaking on 93.7 The Fan last week, Shelton didn’t seem to be worried about such a problem.

“On his performance, I don’t expect it to have any impact. He’s working hard this offseason, just like he always does,” Shelton said. “He’s a guy that we’ve highlighted how he plays. The conversations I have had with him — I talked with him Thursday — there is no expectation that he is not going to be Bryan Reynolds and play hard and do the things that we ask him to do. … Sometimes things happen on the business side, but we will separate that. I have nothing but the ultimate respect for him and the way he plays the game, and I think he’ll continue to do that.”

In terms of what ripple effect that may have on the rest of the locker room Shelton has to manage, he is downplaying that as well.

“(Reynolds) has always been a good teammate,” Shelton said. “He’ll handle that with his teammates, and how he plays is going to be the most important thing. That’s the most important thing, and don’t expect any of that to change.”

Reynold’s renowned no-pulse, slow-heartbeat personality suggests such a concern won’t come to fruition. I wouldn’t expect a Derek Bell-esque “Operation Shutdown” from Reynolds either.

“In terms of all the conversations that I have had with him, our coaches have had with him, he’s working hard this winter, and he’s in a good spot,” Shelton added.

Great. So, as near as I can tell, Reynolds isn’t happy with his current situation, yet no one is all that unhappy with him being unhappy.

Maybe they shouldn’t be. Given Reynolds’ demure personality and the general lack of stakes or anticipation associated with any Pirates season, this could be the least emotionally charged trade demand by a team’s star player of all time.

If a deal does happen, let’s hope the Pirates’ return for Reynolds is dynamic, and the lead-up to it remains quiet.