The recent negotiations that have come to light surrounding the Bryan Reynolds’ contract extension remind me of a popular anecdote from another famous negotiation:
As chronicled in John Helyar’s “Lords of the Realm”, when the Chicago Cubs signed Ryne Sandberg to a contract with a record $7.1 million average annual value—breaking Bobby Bonilla’s mark of $5.8 million—Houston Astros owner John McMullen, angered by the signing, shouted at Cubs chairman at the time, Stanton Cook, “Don’t you know there’s a number between five and seven? It’s six!”
It’s likely the Pittsburgh Pirates tried hitting the numbers between $70 million—the record setting contract signed by Ke’Bryan Hayes at the beginning of last season—and $100 million, but it seems that, at this point, if they want Reynolds to put pen to paper, that wasn’t going to work.