The Pirates have a clear offseason priority staring them in the face: bring Brandon Lowe back.
Lowe has been Pittsburgh’s most productive player this season, and he’s set to hit free agency when the year ends. That puts the Pirates in a familiar spot, with other clubs around MLB expected to chase one of the top available bats on the market. Pittsburgh has not held extension talks with Lowe, and with only eight games left, that probably won’t change until winter.
Still, Lowe hasn’t closed the door. In an interview with Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he said he’s "all ears" on returning to the Pirates, and Beazley also reported that the club wants him back. That should be enough for Pittsburgh to treat this as a real opportunity, not just a possibility.
Ben Cherington already made one of the best moves of his tenure when he acquired Lowe, along with left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery and outfielder Jake Mangum, from the Tampa Bay Rays. The fit has been obvious from the start. Lowe brought postseason experience, left-handed power, and a swing built for the right-field wall at PNC Park.
He’s delivered on all of it. Lowe has been the Pirates’ top power threat, a steady presence for a young clubhouse, and a much better defender than the version Tampa Bay had last season. His 32 home runs lead Pittsburgh, rank first among MLB second basemen, and sit tied for 11th overall in the majors.
That kind of production changed the shape of the Pirates’ offense. After finishing with the fewest home runs in baseball in 2025 with 117, they’ve set a franchise record with 176 in 2026.
The defensive turnaround has been just as striking. Lowe went from minus-14 defensive runs saved and minus-10 outs above average with the Rays last season to plus-14 DRS and plus-12 OAA with Pittsburgh this year. For a player who was once one of the weakest fielding second basemen, that’s a massive shift.
The Pirates know what kind of club they are financially. Bob Nutting’s team has one of the smallest payrolls in baseball, and that reality is not expected to change soon. But the organization has shown some willingness to break from its usual pattern, first by signing Ryan O'Hearn to a two-year, $29 million deal and then by giving rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin a record nine-year, $140 million extension soon after his MLB debut.
Those moves were different for Pittsburgh. O'Hearn was the franchise’s first multi-year free-agent signing since 2016, and Griffin’s deal tied the club to a 19-year-old for the long haul. Keeping Lowe would fit that same theme: a meaningful commitment to a player who clearly matters.
There’s also the looming lockout to consider, with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire on Dec. 1.
Even so, that shouldn’t change the Pirates’ approach. If anything, it makes the winter even more important.
Pittsburgh is already out of playoff contention this season, but the organization has enough on the roster to make 2027 look like a real target. Lowe would be joining a lineup that includes Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez in the outfield, Spencer Horwitz at first base, Nick Gonzales at third, Rafael Flores Jr. behind the plate, plus Lowe and Griffin.
The pitching side also has some promise, with Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones and Paul Skenes in the rotation and a bullpen that got better after the trade deadline.
Last winter was a solid one for the Pirates. This one needs to be bigger. If they want to end an 11-year postseason drought, re-signing Lowe is the kind of move that says they’re serious about doing it.
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