The offense-starved Pittsburgh Pirates finally made an aggressive offseason move, acquiring two-time All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a three-team trade that also includes the Houston Astros.
The Rays will send Lowe, left-hander Mason Montgomery and outfielder Jake Mangum to Pittsburgh. The Pirates will deal right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows to Houston. Tampa Bay is acquiring a pair of prospects from Houston as part of the deal.
Lowe, an All-Star in 2019 and 2025, gives the Pirates a veteran bat for a lineup in desperate need of some pop to support a promising young pitching staff led by National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.
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Left-handed Lowe hit .256 with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs for Tampa Bay last season and now heads to PNC Park, where the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field could be a tantalizing target.
The move is an unusually aggressive one for the Pirates, who have been reticent to acquire much in the way of salary in recent years. Lowe, 31, is scheduled to make $11.5 million in 2026 and can become a free agent after the World Series.
Pittsburgh was said to be pursuing slugger Kyle Schwarber, who opted to stay in Philadelphia. The Pirates did trade for outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia, who hit 18 homers in Triple-A in the Red Sox organization in 2025.
Adding Lowe, however, is the kind of splashy move that shows the team is committed — in 2026, at least — to upgrading an offense that was at or near the bottom of the majors in nearly every major category, including runs and home runs.
Burrows, 26, went 2-4 with a 3.94 ERA for the Pirates last season. He might have been the odd man out in a starting rotation projected to include Skenes, Bubba Chandler and Mitch Keller next season.
Left-handed Montgomery will have a chance to carve out a spot in a Pittsburgh bullpen that includes closer Dennis Santana and veteran left-hander Gregory Soto. Montgomery went 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA in 57 games last season for the Rays.
Mangum, 29, hit .296 and stole 27 bases in 118 games for Tampa Bay during his rookie season.
Outfielder Jacob Melton and right-hander Anderson Brito are going from Houston to the Rays in the trade. Melton, 24, hit .157 during his debut with Houston last season but batted a solid .286 at Triple-A Sugar Land before his call-up. Brito, 21, had a sub-4.00 ERA while playing in the low minors last season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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