The Pittsburgh Pirates head into the offseason with Brandon Lowe as their clearest free-agent priority after the second baseman delivered a transformative season in his first year with the club.
Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a multi-team deal, the 32-year-old led Pittsburgh with 35 home runs and 96 RBI while batting .260 and finishing as a National League Gold Glove finalist.
That production powered an offensive resurgence that helped the Pirates post their first winning record since 2018, giving the lineup a middle-of-the-order presence it had lacked for years and supplying veteran leadership as the team tries to sustain its momentum.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller predicts that Lowe will re-sign with Pittsburgh even if he declines the one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer that is widely expected to be extended to him.
Miller points out that players often turn down qualifying offers only to return to their previous teams, a pattern seen in recent winters with names such as Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso and others.
He argues that allowing Lowe to leave would create a major problem at second base—or at third if Nick Gonzales shifted back—leaving the Pirates to lean on options like Jared Triolo, Jacob Gonzalez, Nick Yorke or Tyler Callihan, who combined for a collective OPS around .610 last season.
With top prospect Murf Gray still potentially a year away, Miller concludes that bringing Lowe back on a shorter-term deal would be ideal for a franchise entering a rare “win-now” window.
NBC Sports projects that Lowe will land a four-year, $96 million contract, a total that would become the largest free-agent deal in Pirates history.
That figure far exceeds Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39 million agreement from a decade earlier, long regarded as the franchise’s biggest free-agent commitment, and tops more recent position-player signings such as Ryan O’Hearn’s two-year, $29 million pact.
For a small-market club long associated with financial caution under owner Bob Nutting, matching or approaching that price would represent a notable shift, particularly with a potential lockout looming and compressing the overall market.
Lowe has indicated he is open to staying in Pittsburgh, and reports of mutual interest between the player and the organization have circulated.
General manager Ben Cherington has spoken positively about his contributions, yet the final price—whether nearer lower projections such as Jim Bowden’s three-year, $45 million or the higher NBC Sports estimate—will reveal how far the front office is willing to stretch.
Keeping Lowe would lock in infield continuity and power for a team hoping to reach the postseason, while losing him would force difficult roster adjustments to replace his production.
As free agency proceeds under the shadow of a possible work stoppage, the resolution of Lowe’s situation will shape the Pirates’ winter and offer a clear signal of their commitment to contending in 2027.
