The Pirates’ path back into the postseason conversation runs through more than just Paul Skenes. If Pittsburgh wants to be viewed as a real threat again, the front office may need to make a move that keeps one of its biggest bats in town.
That’s the case USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is making about Brandon Lowe, the 35-homer infielder the Pirates acquired last offseason in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. Lowe is set to hit free agency this winter, and Nightengale says Pittsburgh should go all-in to keep him.
"If the Pittsburgh Pirates want to be taken seriously, they do everything possible to bring back Brandon Lowe, who's a free agent this winter," Nightengale writes.
For a club that has kept spending conservative in recent years, bringing Lowe back would be a meaningful commitment. And from a baseball standpoint, it’s easy to see why the fit matters so much. Lowe has been one of the game’s better power-hitting second basemen, and this season he’s put together a strong line: 5.5 bWAR, 152 hits, 35 home runs, 94 runs scored, 29 doubles, 96 RBIs, 62 walks and an .824 OPS.
At 32, Lowe isn’t without risk. Age always matters when a long-term deal is on the table. But the upside here is obvious, and it’s exactly the kind of impact Pittsburgh needs if it wants to build something more than a hopeful roster.
Letting him walk would leave a major hole in the infield and raise fresh questions about where the offense goes from here. That’s why Nightengale frames Lowe’s return as more than a nice idea - it’s a requirement if the Pirates want to be viewed differently next season.
In Other News...
Pirates Sent A Clear Ryan O'Hearn Message In The Finale
Ryan OHearns season ended with more than just the usual closing-day box score line. In the Pirates finale, he got to 450 plate appearances and triggered a $100,000 bonus tied into his contract, a small but meaningful payoff after a year that mixed productivity with missed time. Even with the injuries that limited him, OHearn still logged 110 games and set career highs in home runs and RBIs, giving Pittsburgh a useful left-handed presence when he was on the field.
The Pirates also made a clear late-season adjustment to help get him there, shifting his spot in the batting order as the finish line approached. It was a subtle move, but one that said plenty about how the club valued the veterans season and about how close he was to hitting the contractual mark. For a team always weighing short-term lineup choices against longer-term roster decisions, it was a small reminder that every plate appearance can matter in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Could Lose A Key Voice On Don Kellys Staff
The Mariners managerial search has a Pittsburgh angle, and it could end up touching the Pirates dugout. Kristopher Negrn, who serves as bench coach on Don Kellys staff, is reportedly among the candidates being considered to replace Dan Wilson in Seattle, a job that would come with a familiar organization for Negrn and a path he has already traveled in different roles there.
For the Pirates, the timing matters because they are not expected to make sweeping coaching changes of their own. Still, if Negrn lands elsewhere, Kelly would need to account for the loss of a trusted voice on the staff, and that kind of adjustment can ripple beyond one seat in the dugout. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Fans Know Why This Ben Cherington Debate Feels So Frustrating
Ben Cherington appears set to enter an eighth season as Pirates general manager in 2027, with team chairman Bob Nutting giving him the sense that he will stay on in the role. For a fan base that has spent years waiting for the franchise to make real postseason headway, the news lands less like a fresh direction and more like another familiar chapter in a long-running stalemate.
The frustration around Cherington is not just about one executives future, but about the timing of it. Pittsburgh has seen limited progress toward October relevance during his tenure, and keeping the same voice in charge invites the same questions the Pirates have been hearing for years: what exactly has changed, and when will the results finally match the patience being asked of everyone else? [Read more 🡒]