Rays' World Series berth casts Pirates' blockbuster offseason trade in brutal new light

The Tampa Bay Rays are headed to the World Series. The Pittsburgh Pirates are headed into another offseason wondering what went wrong. And somehow, the trade that connected these two franchises last winter makes that contrast even more frustrating.

Tampa Bay punched its ticket to the Fall Classic with a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday, securing its first AL pennant since 2020. The Rays finished the regular season with 98 wins and are now four victories away from the first World Series championship in franchise history.

And they accomplished all of that after trading three players who became significant contributors for Pittsburgh.

Last December, the Pirates acquired Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery from Tampa Bay in a three-team deal involving the Houston Astros. Pittsburgh sent right-hander Mike Burrows to Houston, while the Rays received prospects Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito.

At the time, the deal represented one of general manager Ben Cherington's most aggressive moves to address Pittsburgh's glaring roster deficiencies. And by virtually every reasonable measure, it worked.

Lowe became the Pirates' most productive power hitter, batting .260 with 35 home runs, 96 RBI and a career-best 5.4 bWAR. He also emerged as a Gold Glove finalist after a remarkable defensive turnaround at second base.

Mangum provided valuable outfield depth, batting .276 with 120 hits and 23 stolen bases. Montgomery, meanwhile, developed into one of baseball's most dominant late-inning relievers, posting a 2.88 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings. His emergence earned him National League Reliever of the Month honors in September.

Acquiring three legitimate major-league contributors in one transaction is an unequivocal success for Cherington, and that's precisely what makes Tampa Bay's World Series appearance so damning.

Pirates won the Brandon Lowe trade with Tampa Bay and still couldn't build a playoff team

The Rays parted ways with Lowe, Mangum and Montgomery, won 98 games and captured the American League pennant anyway. Pittsburgh acquired them, received tremendous production from all three, and still couldn't do better than an 82-80 record. That distinction exposes the difference between making a good transaction and constructing a sustainable winner.

Tampa Bay didn't allow the departures to derail its competitive aspirations. The organization continued finding ways to strengthen its roster, including acquiring eventual ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta at the trade deadline. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, spent much of the season struggling with offensive inconsistency, injuries and roster deficiencies that even its most successful acquisitions couldn't overcome.

The situation could become considerably more embarrassing for the Pirates this offseason with Lowe approaching free agency after arguably the best all-around season of his career. Despite Cherington expressing interest in retaining him, there's no guarantee Pittsburgh will make the financial commitment necessary to keep him.

That raises the possibility that the Pirates could lose the most valuable piece of their biggest offseason trade after just one season — without a playoff appearance to show for it.

Cherington deserves credit for making the deal. But credit for individual transactions only goes so far when the larger objective remains unfulfilled.

The Rays are proof that a team can make difficult roster decisions without sacrificing its ability to compete for a championship. The Pirates are proof that even getting a blockbuster trade right doesn't mean much if the rest of the roster isn't good enough.

Unless Pittsburgh builds on that success rather than allowing Lowe to walk without an adequate replacement, one of Cherington's best moves could ultimately become another painful reminder of an opportunity wasted.

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