What’s Next for the Pirates After the Brandon Lowe Deal?

Ladies and gentlemen, the Pirates have finally done it: they’ve landed an impact bat.

Early on the morning of December 19th, the Pirates were involved in a blockbuster, three-team deal that sent Rays power-hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe to the Pirates along with Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery. Luckily for the Bucs, they only had to surrender right-hander Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros to land this haul.

One of the key themes all offseason long has been the Pirates’ newfound willingness to spend, but up until Friday, they hadn’t been able to complete the job and actually land some true, impact players. They had been in the running for Kyle Schwarber, Josh Naylor, and others, yet came away with nothing to show for it.

Now, we can finally see that this is more than just talk, as the Pirates have a real shot to break their six-year, 30-homer drought with the acquisition of Lowe. While Pirates fans rejoiced, there’s still more work to be done, as this offense could use some more upgrades.

Now that the Pirates have pulled off this swap, we can take a closer look at the other areas they must address this offseason. This is a fantastic start, but the job has yet to be finished.

A Quick Look at the Lowe Trade

Before we dive into the next moves the Pirates have to make, we first have to take a closer look at the areas they addressed through Friday’s trade. They answered more questions than just adding some serious pop to the lineup, which should make the rest of their offseason come a little easier.

Starting with Brandon Lowe, the Pirates have found their big-time power bat heading into next season. Lowe is now eight years into his big league career, and he’s truly established himself as a middle-of-the-order threat.

In the 134 games Lowe played this season, the 30-year-old slashed .256/.307/.477 with 31 homers and a 114 wRC+, while also racking up 1.7 fWAR. This was Lowe’s first 30-homer campaign since 2021 and the fourth season he’s hit at least 20 bombs.

A large portion of Lowe’s success was due to his quality of contact skills. Lowe regularly hits the ball hard, as he posted a barrel rate just shy of 13% this season. This isn’t even taking into consideration his .474 xSLG, or the positive exit velocity data he showcased as well.

Lowe doesn’t just have the chance to break the Pirates’ 30-homer drought, either. The club hasn’t had a second baseman hit 30 home runs since Jeff King in 1996, a streak Lowe has a legitimate chance to snap in 2026.

While he’s far and away the best piece in this deal, the Pirates also picked up other valuable pieces.

Outfielder Jake Mangum is the first of these players, as he has a legitimate chance to add more depth to this team. After slashing .296/.330/.368 with three homers and a 95 wRC+ during his rookie campaign, Mangum has quickly become a pretty solid major league hitter.

Of course, Mangum’s bat doesn’t immediately stand out when looking at the underlying metrics. His Baseball Savant page is a sea of blue, but this doesn’t mean he can’t make an impact next season. Notably, Mangum doesn’t have much pop (a 2.6% barrel rate), but players in a similar situation have been able to find success at the big league level.

Only four hitters with at least 200 plate appearances on the Pirates’ 2025 roster registered a wRC+ greater than or equal to Mangum’s 95. He’s also an elite defender, as he put up 6 OAA in the outfield thanks to his plus speed. This same speed allowed him to nab 27 bags as a rookie.

Mangum also comes with elite whiff and strikeout rates, both areas the Pirates desperately need to improve upon. Overall, the acquisition of Mangum is about raising the bar offensively, as the Pirates slowly move closer in the direction of league-average.

Aside from Lowe and Mangum, the Pirates scooped up left-hander Mason Montgomery, a player who I consider one of the most interesting parts of this deal. Despite being hit up quite a bit in 2025 (5.67 ERA, 9.3% barrel rate), there’s a lot to like about Montgomery moving forward.

Montgomery is a two-pitch pitcher who possesses two quality offerings. For starters, his fastball averaged 98.7 MPH while also touching 20 inches of induced vertical break. Not only this, but Montgomery gets nearly seven feet of extension, which makes this pitch play up even more.

In addition to his heater, Montgomery throws a slider with a lot more vertical drop than anything, allowing it to play more like a splitter. This allowed it to record a whiff rate over 43%, something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The Pirates have been searching for high-leverage arms all offseason, and Montgomery definitely has the raw tools to become one with the Pirates’ pitching development. The biggest key for him will be cutting back on walks and potentially picking up another pitch with horizontal movement to add to his arsenal.

Considering that the Pirates only lost Mike Burrows in this deal, I couldn’t love it more. They addressed a lack of power, genuine outfield depth, and a need for a high-leverage reliever in one fell swoop.

Where Do the Pirates Still Need to Upgrade?

Now that we’ve taken a closer look at the Brandon Lowe deal and seen how it affects their roster construction, we can dive into where the Pirates still need to upgrade. They don’t need to do a ton, but a few more moves will significantly help their odds moving into 2026.

Add One More Impact Bat

Although the addition of Brandon Lowe significantly helps their offense for next season, he shouldn’t be their final move offensively. The club could still use another legitimate offensive threat, someone who can bring more protection and thump to the team.

Now that the Pirates have made a big-time move, they should have an easier time bringing more reinforcements to Pittsburgh. It’s going to be much easier to show free agents that they’re serious about contending in 2026 with this addition.

As I briefly mentioned in the introduction, the Pirates have been attempting to land a big free agent all winter, yet have kept missing out. Now that they’ve added Lowe, the odds they land another big-time bat via the free agent market have increased dramatically.

Recently, the Pirates have been tied to Japanese superstars Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami, and both could make a ton of sense. They both have tremendous power upside, although admittedly, they have their flaws as well. Okamoto likely brings a higher ceiling than Murakami, meaning he might be the safer option.

Something else to note, both of these players have had very quiet markets to this point. Murakami’s posting deadline is rapidly approaching on December 22nd, and despite having a little further to go, Okamoto finds himself in a similar position. If they can jump in now, they might be able to capitalize on the upcoming posting deadlines and use them as leverage.

The club could also look to the trade market once again, as they still have plenty of intriguing prospects to offer up. Most notably, the Pirates have checked in on Luis Robert, Brendan Donovan, and others. If they’re looking to keep upgrading offensively, the trade market could remain a good way to do so.

Find One More Reliever

Although Mason Montgomery has a good shot to develop in the Pirates’ organization, they could definitely benefit from adding another solidified big leaguer to the back end of their bullpen.

Luckily for the Pirates, there’s plenty of these arms available on the free agent market. Seranthony Dominguez, Michael Kopech, and Hunter Harvey all jump out as options that shouldn’t break the bank, but would still be welcome additions.

Albeit one more reliever would definitely benefit this bullpen, the Pirates may not make another addition to their bullpen. Gregory Soto and Montgomery have the chance to be what the Pirates were searching for from the beginning, and that isn’t even mentioning players like Ryan Harbin or Brandon Bidois, who were recently added to the 40-man.

While nothing can be guaranteed here, it might make sense to add one more veteran.

Final Thoughts

Now that the Bucs have pulled off their first big move this offseason, I definitely feel a lot more confident about their chances to compete in 2026. For the first time in his tenure as the Pirates’ general manager, Ben Cherington has pulled off back-to-back, very nice trades.

If they can add one final bat to this team and potentially pick up another high-leverage reliever along the way, they should absolutely be considered as a sneaky Wild Card contender in 2026.

However, this move cannot be the last major addition this offseason. The job isn’t finished, but it’s one step closer to being done.