For starters, the Pirates haven’t had a 30-homer hitter since Josh Bell in 2019, and they desperately need to add slugging to their lineup. Taking that a step further, the Pirates haven’t had a second baseman reach this threshold since Jeff King in 1996.
With Lowe proving to be a steady power threat over his career, there’s a very good chance that both of these droughts could be snapped simply by adding him to the Pirates’ roster. A potential 30-homer bat in their lineup would be game changing, as the Pirates were the only team not to reach the 140-homer mark in 2025.
The Pirates only had two hitters post a wRC+ above 100 during the 2025 season, a mark that simply makes competing in 2026 impossible without serious additions. Lowe hasn’t posted a wRC+ below 100 during his entire career, meaning he’d immediately become one of the best pieces of their lineup overnight.
Aside from his on-field play being a huge upgrade, Lowe is one of the more acquirable impact bats that could be moved this offseason. This is largely thanks to the fact that Lowe only has a year left on his contract, which would keep a return from being too unreasonable.
Lowe’s salary for the 2026 season is just $11.5 million, which is quite affordable given his offensive output. This is well within the Pirates’ budget, since early indications had the team potentially increasing payroll by $30 million or more this offseason.
Considering that the Pirates were in the Jorge Polanco sweepstakes until the very end, they have some money to hand Lowe an extension. If a deal is made, we could see Lowe sign an extension immediately after the move, similarly to how the Dodgers extended Tyler Glasnow right after acquiring him from the Rays.
