Brandon Lowe pays ultimate compliment to underrated Pirates trade acquisition

The three-team trade between the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Rays has quickly become known as the Brandon Lowe trade, and for good reason.

The two-time All Star is coming off a season in which he hit .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs, good for a 114 wRC+. After averaging a 123 wRC+ over his career, Lowe immediately becomes the most credible power threat in a lineup that desperately needed a middle-of-the-order slugger.

However, he wasn't the only player Pittsburgh brought in for the expendable price of Mike Burrows. The Pirates also received Jake Magnum, a contact-first outfielder with five years of team control who provides excellent speed and defense, and Mason Montgomery, a 25-year-old lefty reliever who routinely dials his fastball up over 100 mph.

Lowe may be the headliner, but according to the second baseman himself, it's Montgomery that Pirates fans should be paying the most attention to in 2026.

Mason Montgomery could emerge as ultimate trade steal for Pirates this season

Montgomery was drafted and developed as a starter, but as he ascended toward the major leagues, the Rays quickly noticed the high-leverage potential in his fastball. He made a brief (but very successful) debut in 2024, though he struggled in more extensive duty last season.

The lefty's 5.67 ERA was mostly a product of his ghastly 12.9% walk rate and a slider that doesn't really slide. His 3.92 FIP was far more favorable, and a better reflection of the fact that both of his pitches generated whiff rates over 30% last year. In fact, Montgomery ranked in the 90th percentile league-wide in strikeout rate (30.1%) and 97th percentile in whiff rate (35.1%).

“I don't know if you guys have done your research on it, but I mean, 20-plus inches of carry is legit,” Lowe said of Montgomery’s fastball via MLB.com's Alex Stumpf. “Being somebody that's had to face those kind of metrics before, I don't understand how he ever gives up a hit.”

That heater is Montgomery's bread and butter, seeing as it averaged nearly 99 mph and generated comical amounts of perceived rise. His four-seamer may have been responsible for a .420 wOBA last year, but it's also one of the most spin-heavy pitches in the sport. Give him time to work with a Pirates pitching lab that has gotten elite results out of other big-velocity arms, and there's a path to Montgomery emerging as the next big-name closer in Pittsburgh.

Plus, with Gregory Soto also in tow, the Bucs now have two hard-throwing southpaws to build around in the late innings, not to mention ostensible closer Dennis Santana. The starting rotation should still be the overall strength of the pitching staff, but the Pirates might be cooking with gas in the bullpen, too.