A Brandon Lowe Silver Slugger would make Pirates’ biggest 2027 decision painfully obvious

Brandon Lowe could very well finish this season holding a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award. If he does, the trophy should arrive at PNC Park along with an invoice the Pirates need to pay. Lowe currently owns a team-high 30 home runs and 83 RBI with an .802 OPS. He has turned second base into a power position for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates entered last offseason coming off a year in which they finished last in baseball in runs, home runs and OPS. Their pitching kept games close while their offense made close games the norm. They responded by sending Mike Burrows to Houston in the three-team trade that brought Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery from Tampa Bay.

Brandon Lowe solved the problem Pittsburgh spent years complaining about

If Lowe wins the Silver Slugger, he would become Pittsburgh’s first recipient since Andrew McCutchen in 2015 and its first second baseman to win since Neil Walker in 2014. His 30 homers have already blown past Walker’s 23 from that award-winning season.

Lowe has also played better defense, stayed in the lineup and given the middle of the order real authority. For once, the Pirates don’t need their pitching staff to be nearly perfect every night just to have a chance.

Lowe’s contract expires after this season, and he’s positioned to become one of the better hitters on the free-agent market. He will also be 32 in 2027. He still has a ton of swing-and-miss and his injury history isn’t something to gloss over. At the same time, baseball players don’t come with lifetime warranties. If Pittsburgh lets him walk, the front office will spend the winter searching for another left-handed power hitter capable of handling second base and driving the middle of the lineup. Why waste that time when the player they're looking for is already wearing the uniform?

Letting him leave to hunt for a younger, cheaper replacement would be coupon clipping. Nick Gonzales could move back to second, but that opens another hole at third and does nothing to replace Lowe’s power. Jared Triolo can cover the position, but he can’t fill Lowe’s spot in the lineup. Termarr Johnson has yet to reach the majors and is recovering from a torn ACL and LCL.

Those are fallback options. The Pirates’ affordable young talent should give them room to keep the established hitter who completes the lineup.

The Pirates should make Lowe a serious multiyear offer and pay him like the impact bat he has been. They spent years looking for this kind of hitter. Letting him walk now wouldn’t make any sense.

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