PITTSBURGH - Brandon Lowe is one of the best second basemen in baseball, and he's put up an incredible season with the Pittsburgh Pirates .
Lowe has given the Pirates everything they wanted from him when they traded for him last offseason, but they may lose all of that when he becomes a free agent this winter .
He's been the Pirates' best player in 2026, showing off his power, but also improving massively with his defense at second base, making him the complete player.
The Pirates don't have the postseason to worry about, but the players, especially, will hope Lowe returns to make that a reality in 2027.
Lowe wasn't the only big addition the Pirates made last offseason, as first baseman Ryan O'Hearn was another move that showed their intent to compete in 2026.
The Pirates signed O'Hearn to a two-year, $29 million contract, their first multi-year free agent deal in 10 seasons, their second-largest free agent contract and the largest AAV for a free agent.
Jun 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (5) celebrates with right fielder Ryan O'Hearn (29) after scoring a run against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
O'Hearn has had a strong season himself , batting .264/.330/.441 for an OPS of .771 with a career-high 18 home runs and 74 RBI, but Lowe has him beat.
Lowe has hit .260/.330/.489 for an OPS of .819, with 33 home runs and 93 RBI, leading all MLB second basemen in home runs, slugging percentage, OPS, and tied for first in RBI.
For O'Hearn, it's a simple decision for him if he wants Lowe back and he didn't need to go into too much detail on his answer.
"Are you asking me if I would love to have a guy that hits 30-plus and probably 100 RBIs, that plays Gold Glove second base, and is a stud in the clubhouse? Like, yeah, I would love to have that guy back," O'Hearn said.
The Pirates acquired Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays on Dec. 19, 2025, but they also got two other players: left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery and outfielder Jake Mangum.
Mangum came up through the Rays system and played his rookie season with Lowe on the Rays, learning what it takes to stay and excel in the major leagues.
Jun 11, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Jake Mangum (28) high fives Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) after scoring during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Joining the Pirates together, along with Montgomery, made it easier for them to ingratiate themselves in a new clubhouse, but also work to build a winning culture.
Mangum credited Lowe for all the support he's given him and that he wants his second baseman back.
"Brandon, I don't know the big leagues without Brandon Lowe," Mangum said, "I've never had a day in the big league without Brandon Lowe. He's a rock star. I think he's one of the most underappreciated players in Major League Baseball. I said it last year and once again he's having a year where I'm saying that again. For how he is in the clubhouse, how he is in the field, he's awesome."
"I think just on a national scale. I think that dude is one of the best players in baseball."
"I would love to have him back, but like you said, that's out of our control. We need to control what we can at the elite level and that's out of our control but I know we'd all love to have Brandon Lowe back.
The Pirates didn't have a better pitcher this season than Braxton Ashcraft, who asserted himself as an ace for the future.
Ashcraft posted a 14-6 record over 28 starts, a 3.65 ERA over 165.1 innings pitched, 173 strikeouts to 35 walks, a .235 BAA and a 1.09 ERA, before right-side discomfort put him on the 15-day injured list in mid-September.
Sep 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (35) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He earned his first All-Star nod and showed that he's among the best starting pitchers in baseball .
Ashcraft, in just his first full season in the Pirates rotation, relied on veterans around him to help with the struggles and hardships of a 162-game season.
Lowe was one of those players and Ashcraft has grown a great deal under his tutelage.
"He's a guy that's been around the game a lot and seen a lot in this game," Ashcraft said. "When you have experience coming in, you have someone you can lean on when situations present themselves and things arrive, it's really valuable. This is all I've ever known.
"The guys in this clubhouse are all I've ever known in this game. When you have guys like Brandon, guys like Ryan, Kirby too and Luke Weaver . All of these that come in that didn't start the year with us and they offer different perspectives. They offer different ideas in how to go about your work every day and what your work means to you, that's invaluable.
"Those guys are really, really fluent in the way they communicate that and they are really quick to communicate that and they do it in a constructive way and in a way of building everyone up and it's productive.
"That's the one thing from guys that have seen so much of the game is for them to be able to communicate what they've seen and communicate how they handle certain situations and it's made everyone in here better for it."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/pirates/onsi as Pirates Players Share Clear Message on Brandon Lowe's Future .
