The Pittsburgh Pirates don’t have a crowded free-agent list this offseason, but the two names on it still matter.
Second baseman Brandon Lowe and left-handed reliever Gregory Soto are set to test the market, with right-handed reliever Kirby Yates having retired during the final series of the season. That leaves Pittsburgh with a clear choice to make on Lowe and a much easier call on Soto.
Lowe is the one the Pirates need to keep.
Acquired in a three-team deal from the Tampa Bay Rays, Lowe arrived with left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery and outfielder Jake Mangum, while right-handed starter Mike Burrows went to the Houston Astros. It ended up being the best trade Pirates general manager Ben Cherington made, with Montgomery becoming an elite closer, Mangum giving the club useful outfield depth and Lowe emerging as the team’s top hitter in 2026.
He gave Pittsburgh exactly what it needed: a left-handed power bat that played well at PNC Park. Lowe finished with 35 home runs, the most by a Pirate since Josh Bell hit 37 in 2019. He was also the best power-hitting second baseman in baseball and stayed productive at the plate all season long in 2026.
The defensive jump was just as important. Lowe finished at +15 outs above average and +13 defensive runs saved, numbers that ranked second and tied for third among qualified second basemen in 2026.
That was a massive turnaround from 2025, when he posted -14 OAA and -14 DRS, the worst and second-worst marks for a second baseman. Working with Pirates infield coach Chris Truby clearly paid off.
Pittsburgh has to bring him back. Lowe isn’t just a bat the Pirates can’t replace; he’s also a good presence in the clubhouse and the club’s Roberto Clemente Award winner. His teammates want him back, and the organization would be better off making him a centerpiece of the lineup instead of trying to patch together his production in pieces.
Soto’s case is different.
The left-hander gave the Pirates a needed southpaw presence in a bullpen that leaned heavily to the right. In 69 appearances and 67 innings, he posted a 3.63 ERA with 79 strikeouts, 29 walks, a .199 batting average allowed and a 1.16 WHIP.
He wasn’t perfect. Soto had rough stretches in June and September, even though he was strong in the first two months of the season and again from July through August. Still, the Pirates can find a reliever at that level on the market, and they’re likely to pursue another veteran arm this winter through free agency or trade.
Pittsburgh would probably prefer a more effective left-handed option than Evan Sisk and Brandon Eisert, both low-velocity pitchers who rely on extension and deception. But letting Soto walk wouldn’t leave the Pirates stuck. Replacing him is a much more realistic task than replacing Lowe.
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