Gleyber Torres free agency prediction reveals why Pirates can't afford to lose Brandon Lowe

There's no beating around the bush here: The most important free agent for the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason is one from their own roster.

Brandon Lowe was so important to this team's offensive revival in the first half and played such strong defense at second base that it feels like letting him walk away could ground the Bucs' plane before it ever really takes off.

Of course, money is the be-all, end-all in free agency, especially for a 32-year-old coming off the best season of his career by fWAR (4.9). Odds are at least one contender is going to make him a really strong offer that the Pirates won't be able to match (or, at least that's what they'll claim).

If that's the case, second base will become a wide open hole on the roster yet again. Jim Bowden of The Athletic likes Gleyber Torres' fit with the Pirates as a potential replacement option, but that'd be a serious downgrade with the only benefit being Torres' relative youth (he turns 30 in December).

If he's the best of the backup plans available at the keystone, it should be more clear than ever that Pittsburgh has to throw caution to the wind and bring Lowe back no matter the cost.

Second base options make it clear how badly the Pirates need Brandon Lowe in 2027

From a pure statistical standpoint, there's nothing wrong with a pursuit of Torres. He's not a great defender or baserunner, and it's worth noting multiple oblique injuries hurt his production in 2026, but he still managed a 109 wRC+ and owns a .767 OPS for his career. Plus, he's really good against left-handed pitching, owning a career 135 wRC+ versus southpaws, which will surely pique the Bucs' interest after their well-documented struggles in that area this year.

What's really interesting about Bowden's free agency preview is that Torres (two years, $42 million) is actually projected to get a higher AAV than Lowe (three years, $45 million). The former's deal seems a bit heavy given his injury troubles and the latter's seems light in the wake of his breakout campaign, but if their next contracts end up anywhere in the same vicinity, the Pirates have to be all over Lowe's market.

It'll be one thing if Lowe convinces a desperate contender to give him a nine-figure contract; that would be a hard sell given his age and power-dependent offensive game. But if he's making about $15 million per year as Bowden forecasts — only a slight raise on his $11.5 million salary in 2026 — then it would be utter malpractice not to bring him back at that rate.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow