If the Pittsburgh Pirates decide to change course before the trade deadline, Brandon Lowe could quickly become one of the names other clubs circle.
93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi suggested the Texas Rangers could be in the mix if Lowe becomes available in the next few hours, and that possibility lands at a strange moment for Pittsburgh. The Pirates have stumbled lately, dropping three of four on the road against the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, and they now sit one game under .500 at 56-57, 3 ½ games back of the National League’s final Wild Card spot.
That kind of slide can tempt a team into panic. But for the Pirates, selling would be the wrong answer. This is an organization that has stayed in the playoff chase and only bought at the deadline once this decade before this season, and there’s no reason to suddenly wave the white flag now.
Yes, the last couple of weeks have been rough. Pittsburgh hasn’t won a series in two weeks, and Ryan O’Hearn, one of the lineup’s most productive bats, is dealing with a left quad strain that will likely keep him on the injured list well into September.
That hurts. It matters.
Still, the market around the Pirates does not look closed. The Miami Marlins are reportedly weighing whether to move some of their promising young position players, while the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks have yet to make any notable moves. That leaves Pittsburgh with a path to improve if it chooses to act with some discipline.
What it should not do is unload prospects for pure rentals. That would be a poor fit for where the club is right now. But there are players out there with more than a few months of control, the kind of additions that can help this year and also matter in 2026 and beyond.
Trading Lowe would be a different story entirely. It would look like surrender, especially with O’Hearn, Griffin and Oneil Cruz all on the injured list at the moment.
Lowe, 32, finished July strong after a rough June. He hit .313/.356/.469 during the month and has put together a season line of 23 home runs, an .810 OPS and eight Outs Above Average.
Unless Pittsburgh is somehow using Lowe as part of a larger deal for another highly sought-after player, the return on its own is unlikely to match what he brings by staying put. At this stage, the Pirates need to step back and recognize what they still have: a rotation and a lineup that can make real noise in October if the rest of the roster is handled correctly.
The bullpen could still use more help even after the addition of Camilo Doval, and another quality reliever or two would go a long way. But with the club still in the race, moving Lowe now would be a drastic overreaction.
In Other News...
Pirates May Have Found A Trade Path For Bullpen Help
The Pirates search for bullpen help may be getting a little clearer as the trade market starts to take shape, and the Texas Rangers are suddenly part of the conversation. After a rough stretch, Texas has let other clubs know that no player is entirely off-limits, which opens the door for teams like Pittsburgh to at least explore ways to add depth without paying premium prices.
For the Pirates, the appeal appears to be in the Rangers relief mix rather than the headline names. Peyton Gray and Tyler Alexander have both put together solid seasons, and they fit the kind of lower-cost path Pittsburgh would likely have to pursue. The bigger-ticket Rangers pieces remain a different matter, with players such as Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi not expected to be available to a club like Pittsburgh. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates May Have Found A Bullpen Arm Worth Watching Closely
The Pirates got a first look at Doval almost immediately after acquiring him from the Yankees on Saturday, and the right-hander was in uniform and on the mound by Sunday. Pittsburgh brought him into the mix against the Reds, giving the bullpen a fresh arm to evaluate in a game that offered an early glimpse of how he might fit into Don Kellys relief plans.
Dovals first outing with his new club was a mixed one, as he gave up a solo homer but otherwise worked through the inning with authority. Kelly and Doval both addressed what the appearance meant for his role moving forward, and for a Pirates bullpen that is always looking for someone who can give it a little more late-game stability. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Bullpen Pressure Just Grew For Ben Cherington At Deadline
The bullpen market moved a little faster than the Pirates did, and that matters in Pittsburgh with the deadline in the rearview. Chicago landed right-handed reliever Huascar Brazobn from the Mets, a name the Pirates had shown interest in, underscoring how quickly relief help can come off the board when multiple clubs are chasing the same arms. For a team still trying to sort out the late innings, it was another reminder that patience alone is not going to fix the problem.
Ben Cherington is still searching for answers, and the pressure around the Pirates bullpen has only grown as the club continues to look at other possibilities. Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley remain among the targets being explored, but the broader issue is familiar by now: Pittsburgh needs more certainty in relief, and every missed opportunity only sharpens the focus on the general manager to deliver something that actually steadies the group. [Read more 🡒]