Pirates make aggressive move trading for Lowe, must only be beginning

After much talk and speculation, the Pittsburgh Pirates put words into action to help their offense.

On Friday, the Pirates acquired All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays, along with two other players, in a three-team trade.

The Pirates, Rays, and Houston Astros combined for a deal where the Pirates received three players for the price of one. 

The Bucs acquired Lowe, left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery, and outfielder Jake Mangum from the Rays and traded right-hander Mike Burrows to Houston. The Rays are getting back two prospects from the Astros.

Lowe is the main headliner and immediately improves the Pirates’ offense. The 31-year-old lefty slugger hit 31 home runs in 134 games, 11 more than Oneil Cruz (20) hit to lead the Pirates. 

Lowe slashed .256/.307/.477 with a .784 OPS in 553 plate appearances, earning 130 hits as a main piece in the middle of the Rays lineup. 

He hit 19 doubles and drove in 83 runs, an RBI total that also would have led all Pirates ahead of Bryan Reynolds (73).

The Pirates were one of the worst offenses in baseball in 2025, averaging the fewest runs scored by any club (3.6) and 28th in batting average (.231).

Lowe recorded an OPS over 100 points higher on the road (.837) than at home (.735), and 16 of his home runs were away from the Rays’ temporary home ballpark. With the hitter-friendly right field in Pittsburgh, Lowe could see continued offensive success.

Health remains an issue as Lowe has only played over 109 games twice in the last five seasons. If he can stay healthy, he becomes the best bat in the Pirates lineup. 

The Pirates are undoubtedly a better team today than they were one week ago, and added two additional pieces. 

The Pirates added lefty reliever Mason Montgomery, who averages over 98 MPH with his fastball, but sometimes doesn’t know where it’s going.

In 46 innings, Montgomery earned a 5.67 ERA and 1.65 WHIP, with 27 walks and 63 strikeouts in 57 appearances.

Montgomery was sent back to the minors last season to work on his control, but he will be 26 this year and has some potential to be a lefty bullpen piece the Pirates are lacking.

Switch-hitting outfielder Jake Mangum hit .296 in 118 games. Mangum is kind of a late bloomer and will be 30 next season.

He only hit three home runs, but drove in 40 runs and makes good contact. He also has plus speed, stealing 27 bags last year, and had an on-base mark of .329. Mangum could profile as a platoon player with recently acquired righty Jhostynxon Garcia left field or as a solid fourth-outfielder option.

Mangum went to the same high school as super prospect Konnor Griffin, and the two are training together this offseason. 

Absolutely fired up to get to work for the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Mangum posted on Twitter. “I’m going to give yall everything I got! Looking forward to building new relationships and getting to know the Pittsburgh community. Let’s get to work! Raise the Jolly Roger! 🏴‍☠️ 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️”

Giving up Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo earlier in the offseason hurts the Pirates’ pitching depth, but was necessary to improve a poor lineup. 

This needs to be the start, not the finish, for Ben Cherington and the Pirates offense. Eugenio Suarez is the biggest name available that makes sense and is within the Pirates’ spending parameters. 

Cherington told the media that he still wants to add one more bat. I would argue they need two, especially before Griffin debuts. It’s a good move and arguably the best trade, on paper, that Cherington has made as general manager… but the bar isn’t high there.

The Pirates need to continue to add to their offense and not be fearful to spend meaningful money before the league faces a likely lockout in 2027.

Like Paul Skenes said after winning the Cy Young, “talk is cheap.” Good start, Ben, but you’re only approaching halfway through the marathon. Still have another 13.1 miles to go. It’s imperative that the Pirates finish strong, and much stronger than any offseason before.