Pirates must acquire rumored trade target after missing out on Jorge Polanco

Tell me if you heard this one before: the Pittsburgh Pirates missed out on a free agent target (this time, Jorge Polanco) that they were reportedly interested in. The Bucs were reportedly making a serious push to sign Polanco, but the power hitter ended up signing a two-year contract worth $40 million ($20 million AAV) with the New York Mets. The offseason is far from over, but after missing out on such a big power threat, the Pirates must turn their attention to Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Lowe is another power hitter the Pirates have been strongly connected to, and is a very similar player to Polanco. Last year, Lowe slashed .256/.307/.477 with a .334 wOBA and a 114 wRC+. The second baseman slugged 31 home runs in 553 plate appearances. Lowe had a below-average 26.9% K% and 6.9% BB%, but his power output more than made up for it. Among qualified players who spent at least 50% of their games at 2B in 2025, his .221 isolated slugging percentage was the game's third best mark.

This sort of power output isn’t unprecedented either. Lowe’s average ISO from 2021 through 2024 was .231. He has consistently had a barrel rate of at least 10% or higher. This past season, he was in the 81st percentile at 12.9%. Lowe was also in the 71st percentile of xwOBA at .337, and the 81st percentile of xSLG% at .476 (second best among primary 2B’s). One could even argue that Lowe has a better chance of performing better in 2026 than Polanco. Lowe had a better exit velocity, barrel rate, and xSLG%, with a nearly identical xwOBA. 

Brandon Lowe is now a must for the Pirates this offseason.

On top of that, putting Lowe into PNC Park for his home games may increase his power output even more. According to Statcast park factors, Tropicana Field was the second least hitter-friendly park in baseball for left-handed hitters from 2022 through 2024. The Rays will be returning to the Trop after spending 2025 in Steinbrenner Field because of Hurricane Milton, which put their home stadium out of commission. Thankfully, PNC Park was the fifth most hitter-friendly stadium for lefty batters in that same time span.

Lowe is under control for only one season and is set to make $11.5 million, just over half of what Polanco will make in 2026. It likely will not take a ton of trade ammunition for the Pirates to pry him away from Tampa Bay, either. Lowe is a defensively limited slugger who had -13 defensive runs saved and -14 outs above average at the keystone. The Pirates could likely acquire Lowe for a relatively low cost. A high-ceiling mid-tier pitching prospect, such as Levi Sterling or Zander Mueth, may be enough of a headliner, along with a lower-tier prospect or two, to get the job done. It all depends on which pitchers Tampa Bay would like to add to their factory.

Getting some power into the Pirates’ lineup is an absolute must. Last year, the Bucs hit just 117 home runs with an ISO of .119. They were the third non-COVID season team to hit fewer than 120 home runs in a season over the last 10 years. They were also just the fifth team since 2015 to have an ISO below .120.

Missing out on another big power hitter is yet another massive letdown in a series of letdowns from Pirates general manager Ben Cherington. If he wants to show that he is serious about competing in 2026, going after Brandon Lowe is now an absolute must. He has to find a way to install a bat into the lineup who is a strong bet to hit at least 25 home runs, and Lowe is arguably the best player available for that purpose based on his cost, both in terms of prospect price tag and 2026 salary.