Pirates Trade Analysis: Bucs Finally Land Big Bat; Secondary Pieces Provide Great Value for Cost
The Pittsburgh Pirates have pulled off their biggest trade of the Ben Cherington era.
In a desperate search for lineup upgrades, the Pirates are acquiring second baseman Brandon Lowe, as well as outfielder Jake Mangum and lefty reliever Mason Montgomery from the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a three-team trade that will send starting pitcher Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros. The deal is is in the medical review stage, a source told Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
Let’s start with Lowe.
The 31-year-old totaled 134 games in his 2025 All-Star campaign with the Rays and slashed .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI. For his Major League career, Lowe brings a .247/.326/.481 batting line to Pittsburgh along with 157 career home runs in 745 games. He’s hit at least 20 home runs in each of the last three seasons and had a career-high 39 when he finished 10th in the American League MVP voting in 2021.
Lowe’s best attribute is his left-handed power which is exactly what the Pirates needed to add this offseason. Lowe’s 31 home runs were over a quarter of the Pirates’ output as a team this past season. Pittsburgh finished last in MLB with 117 homers, runs scored (583) and OPS (.655).
While Lowe’s offensive output has been strong throughout his career, there are a couple red flags to note. Lowe’s defense at second base has been on the decline the past couple seasons, culminating with minus-14 defensive runs saved and minus-13 outs above average this past season. He’s dabbled in the outfield but hasn’t graded well there either and played 13 games at first base in 2025.
Injuries have also been a concern. Lowe’s 134 games played this past season were the second-most in his career. He’s only eclipsed 100 games four times in his career (three of which have come the last last three seasons).
But despite the drawbacks, the Pirates needed to add a player capable of impacting the lineup. And given the price and the other pieces involved, this is a worthwhile trade for Pittsburgh.
The Pirates also received Mangum, a 29-year-old rookie who doesn’t possess the same upside offensively as Lowe but finished 10th in baseball with a .296 batting average among players to record at least 400 plate appearances.
Mangum — who coincidently went to the same high school as top prospect as Konnor Griffin — doesn’t possess much pop (three home runs, .368 slugging), but stole 27 bases in 118 games during his first big-league season and provides quality defense at all three outfield spots.
If Mangum, who is a switch-hitter, isn’t anointed as the starting left fielder come Opening Day, he could be a valuable bench piece as a fourth outfielder who, in addition to making occasional starts, could come in games in the late innings as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner.
Montgomery, meanwhile, totaled 57 games in his first full season in the big leagues and went 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA and one save. Though the surface numbers are unimpressive, there are some things to really like about the 25-year-old.
For starters, his 3.92 ERA indicates he’s due for some positive regression. He walked a lot of batters (27 in 46 innings) and recorded a lot of strikeouts (63). Home runs were somewhat of an issue (1.2 HR/9), and right-handed batters had a lot of success against him. But the Pirates have a good track record of helping left-handed pitchers and throwing at PNC Park should alleviate some of those problems against righties.
Montgomery is a two-pitch pitcher, relying primarily on an upper-90s four-seam fastball which he throws 66% of the time. He also has a slider that hovers around 90 mph.
Lowe will make $11.5 million in 2026 and will be a free agent next offseason. Mangum and Montgomery are both on pre-arbitration deals.
The Pirates had to part with Burrows, a promising young starting pitcher which stings. But given that Pittsburgh has a plethora of young starting pitchers at or near the Major League level and considering Burrows’ injury history, trading him was worth landing three players capable of impacting the 26-man roster.
The Pirates have done well this offseason. Signing Gregory Soto addressed a need in the bullpen. Trading Johan Oviedo for a high-upside player like Jhostynxon García may or may not pan out, but it’s a move that was worth the risk. But Lowe is the biggest addition so far, and Mangum and Montgomery are solid complementary pieces.
It’s a solid start so far this winter but there’s still work to be done.
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