Latest Rays rumor just hinted top Pirates trade target is extremely available

Every offseason has those little breadcrumbs that front offices accidentally drop –– comments that don’t mean to reveal anything, but absolutely do. And the latest one came courtesy of Ken Rosenthal, who reported this week that the Tampa Bay Rays pursued switch-hitter Jorge Polanco (before he ultimately signed with the New York Mets) with a plan to deploy him all over the infield.

On the surface, that’s just another offseason rumor. Dig one layer deeper, though, and it starts screaming something much louder: Brandon Lowe is extremely available.

You don’t go shopping for a switch-hitting infielder with positional flexibility unless you’re actively creating an exit ramp for someone already on your roster. And the only logical name that fits that description in Tampa Bay is Lowe.

The Rays don't make moves for comfort. They make moves to replace people. If they had landed Polanco, they suddenly would’ve had a switch-hitter capable of covering second base, shortstop and third — all positions where Tampa already has options.

The only way that plan makes sense is if Lowe was on his way out.

His contract is affordable. His power is real. And his injury history is exactly the type of risk the Rays love to cash out on before it turns into a sunk cost. Polanco wasn’t depth — he was insurance, leverage and a signal flare.

And yes, Pirates fans should absolutely be paying attention.

Brandon Lowe is a fit for Pittsburgh and should be on Pirates' trade radar

The Pirates don’t need another reclamation project. They don’t need another “let’s see what happens.” They need a proven bat who can immediately raise the floor of a lineup that finished at the bottom of the league in almost every meaningful offensive category.

Lowe checks boxes Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to fill internally: left-handed power, middle-infield competence, a track record of run production and a very reasonable (by most teams' standards) $11.5 million owed to him in 2026. And most importantly? He’s the kind of player a team like the Rays only moves when they believe they’ve already found the next version –– which means his availability window is wide open right now.

The Rays didn’t need Polanco specifically — they needed flexibility. They needed cover. They needed a pivot point. That’s how Tampa Bay operates. They don’t announce who they’re trading; they quietly line up the replacement first.

This is the exact same front-office behavior we’ve seen before with Evan Longoria. With Blake Snell. With Willy Adames. With Tyler Glasnow. The Rays telegraph their intentions not through trades, but through almost-trades.

Rosenthal’s report wasn’t noise; it was a tell. So if the Pirates are serious, this is their moment. They have pitching depth. They have prospect capital. They have flexibility. What they haven’t shown yet is urgency.

Lowe won’t cost the Pirates a Paul Skenes-type asset. He won’t require a nine-figure commitment. And he won’t block long-term pieces the way a free-agent mega deal might. But he would immediately change how opposing pitchers approach the middle of the Pirates’ order — something no internal option has proven capable of doing yet.

If the Rays are already planning life after Lowe, the Pirates can’t afford to be late to the table.