The Pittsburgh Pirates’ biggest free-agent question this offseason isn’t coming from outside the building. It’s Brandon Lowe.
After powering the club’s offensive surge in the first half and holding down second base with strong defense, Lowe has put the Pirates in a position where losing him could stall everything before it really gets rolling. At 32 and coming off the best season of his career by fWAR at 4.9, he’s also the kind of player who figures to draw real interest from contenders willing to spend.
That’s where the danger starts for Pittsburgh. If another team pushes the price beyond what the Pirates are willing to match, second base suddenly turns into a problem again.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic has Gleyber Torres as a possible fit for the Pirates if they need a replacement, but that would be a step down. Torres does bring youth into the equation - he turns 30 in December - yet the overall package doesn’t compare to what Lowe just gave Pittsburgh.
Bowden’s free-agent projections make the comparison even sharper. He has Torres at two years, $42 million and Lowe at three years, $45 million.
On paper, that means Torres would carry the higher average annual value despite Lowe’s breakout year. That’s a strange setup for the Pirates, because it only strengthens the case that Lowe should be the priority if the numbers stay anywhere near that range.
Torres isn’t without appeal. He’s been hurt by multiple oblique injuries in 2026, but he still posted a 109 wRC+ and carries a .767 OPS for his career. He’s also been especially effective against left-handed pitching, with a career 135 wRC+ versus southpaws, which would matter for a Pirates team that struggled in that area this year.
Still, the broader picture is hard to miss. If Torres is the fallback plan at second base, then Pittsburgh’s path is obvious: keep Lowe, even if it takes stretching a little.
The only scenario where that changes is if Lowe lands a massive nine-figure offer from a desperate contender, and that would be a tough sell given his age and power-driven profile. But if his market settles around Bowden’s projection - roughly $15 million per year, just a modest bump from his $11.5 million salary in 2026 - the Pirates would be making a serious mistake by letting him get away.
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