Pirates' Brandon Lowe trade keeps looking better after Astros' latest move

The Pittsburgh Pirates already had every reason to feel good about the Brandon Lowe trade in December. The Houston Astros optioning Mike Burrows to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday only makes the deal look even better.

Pittsburgh’s side of the trade was straightforward from the beginning. The Pirates turned one young pitcher from a crowded pitching group into three useful pieces, headlined by the exact kind of established left-handed power bat this offense badly needed. The Pirates acquired Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery from the Tampa Bay Rays in the three-team deal, while Burrows went to Houston and the Rays landed Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito from the Astros.

At the time, there was a fair argument that Houston had done well for itself. Burrows was coming off a solid rookie season with the Pirates, posting a 3.94 ERA, a 24.1% strikeout rate and a 3.27 ERA after the All-Star break. He had six years of club control and looked like a legitimate back-end rotation piece.

Instead, the Astros are now sending him to Triple-A after 94 2/3 innings of a 5.99 ERA, a major home-run problem and a strikeout rate that has slipped to 17.7%. His latest start — 10 runs allowed against the Washington Nationals — forced Houston’s hand.

Astros demoting Mike Burrows is latest proof point that Pirates won three-team offseason trade

Meanwhile, Lowe has been exactly what the Pirates needed. Even with the typical swing-and-miss that comes with his profile, he has given Pittsburgh impact production at second base, entering this stretch with 21 home runs and 64 RBI. For a Pirates offense that spent years begging for real thump, Lowe has changed the shape of the lineup.

Mangum has made the deal even more lopsided in favor of Pittsburgh. He wasn't the headliner, but his .305/.358/.362 line and steady contact skills have given Pittsburgh a legitimate depth piece, especially with Oneil Cruz, Konnor Griffin and Spencer Horwitz all missing time due to injury.

Montgomery adds another layer as a controllable left-handed arm with upper-90s velocity that gives the Pirates bullpen depth they didn't have to buy on the open market. But ultimately, Pittsburgh's primary motivation in the deal was to convert pitching surplus into offensive help after finishing last in MLB with 583 runs in 2025.

That is exactly what they did, and they currently have the third-most runs in MLB in 2026. Burrows may still rebound, but right now, Pittsburgh turned one struggling starter into Lowe, Mangum and Montgomery. That's an absolute steal.

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