The Astros, Pirates and Rays have completed a big three-team trade. Each team’s end of the deal breaks down as follows…
- The Pirates send right-hander Mike Burrows to the Astros and receive second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-hander Mason Montgomery from the Rays.
- The Rays send second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-hander Mason Montgomery to the Pirates, receiving outfielder Jacob Melton and right-hander Anderson Brito from the Astros.
- The Astros send Jacob Melton and right-hander Anderson Brito to the Rays and receive right-hander Mike Burrows from the Pirates.
The Bucs have a full 40-man roster and will have to make two corresponding moves, which they have not announced yet.
Lowe is the biggest name of the bunch here. The 31-year-old has spent the past eight seasons with the Rays. In that time, he has established himself as one of the better power-hitting second basemen in the sport. Dating back to the start of 2019, he has hit 151 home runs. Among primary second basemen, only Marcus Semien and Jose Altuve are ahead of him in that category, with Semien having 178 homers in that span and Altuve 158.
That power production from Lowe is even more impressive when one considers that he did that in about one thousand fewer plate appearances than Altuve and about 1,600 shy of Semien. But that also demonstrates the main knock on Lowe, which is that he has had trouble staying on the field. Due to various injuries over the years, he has only twice been able to play more than 107 games in a season. Lower back problems have been a frequent issue but he’s also hit the injured list due to a right shin bone bruise, a right triceps contusion, a right patella fracture, a right oblique strain, left oblique tightness and left ankle/foot tendinitis.
Earlier in his career, the Rays moved Lowe between second base and the outfield corners. Presumably because of the injuries, he hasn’t been sent out to the grass since 2022. He has been almost exclusively a second baseman lately, with a few stints at first as well. His second base defense was once around league average but seems to have slipped as he has battled those injuries and pushed into his 30s. He was given a minus-13 grade from Outs Above Average this year and minus-14 from Defensive Runs Saved.
There’s also a bit of concern from his declining plate discipline. He has always had a high strikeout rate but offset that earlier in his career with solid walk rates. That hasn’t been the case lately, as Lowe walked in fewer than 8% of his plate appearances in each of the past two years.
The power has still been enough to carry the profile. Dating back to the start of 2024, he has 52 home runs and a .251/.309/.475 batting line. That translates to a 118 wRC+, indicating his offense has been 18% above league average overall. Despite the defensive shortcomings, FanGraphs credited him with four wins above replacement in 241 games over that two-year span. He is going to make $11.5MM in 2026 before he’s slated to reach free agency.
Though Lowe is an imperfect player, he will be a big upgrade for the Pirates. They had almost no offensive prowess to speak of in 2025. Spencer Horwitz was the only Pirate to produce a wRC+ higher than 101.
While the Bucs had a clear lack of offense, they have a huge pile of pitching talent. Paul Skenes is the clear headliner but they have plenty of other exciting young arms in the mix. After several years struggling to return to contention, the Bucs came into this winter looking to get aggressive in upgrading the offense.
They made some spirited attempts in free agency, making competitive offers to Kyle Schwarber and Josh Naylor before they re-signed with the Phillies and Mariners respectively. Even if the Bucs had succeeded in signing one of those guys or someone else, it always seemed likely that they would use their stockpile of young arms to bolster the offense. This is the second such trade of the offseason for the Bucs. They sent Johan Oviedo to the Red Sox earlier this month as part of a five-player swap, with outfielder Jhostynxon García coming back to Pittsburgh.
Lowe could jump in as the regular second baseman. The Bucs used guys like Jared Triolo, Nick Yorke and Nick Gonzales there in 2025 without anyone taking firm hold of the position. Given Lowe’s age, injury issues and defensive shortcomings, it’s also possible he sees significant time in the designated hitter slot. That would leave open some playing time for those guys, though Triolo and Gonzalez could also factor in at shortstop or third base.
Since Lowe is going into the final year of his deal, he’s just a one-year upgrade for the Pirates, though it’s possible they could make him a qualifying offer at season’s end if he has a healthy and productive campaign.
They had added yet another guy to their position player mix with Mangum, though he’s not likely to be a massive lineup boost. He got into 118 games with the Rays this year as a speed-and-defense guy with a contact-based approach. His 15% strikeout rate was lower than league average but he also only drew walks at a 4% clip and hit only three home runs. His .296/.330/.368 batting line translated to a 95 wRC+ but he stole 27 bases and got strong defensive grades in all three outfield slots.
Mangum has exactly one year of service time, meaning he’s at least two years from arbitration and five years from free agency. He also has a full slate of options, so he could be sent to Triple-A to serve as depth. The Bucs should have Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds in two outfield spots. One spot is available with guys like García, Jack Suwinski, Marco Luciano and others in the mix. Mangum could push for a regular role or a gig as a fourth outfielder, or he could end up in Triple-A, as mentioned. A lengthy optional assignment could delay his trajectory to arbitration and/or free agency.
The Bucs also picked up a reliever in Montgomery. The southpaw tossed 55 2/3 innings for the Rays over the past two years, allowing 5.01 earned runs per nine. He struck out 32.5% of batters faced and got grounders on 45% of balls in play but also gave out walks at a big 13% clip. He has a high-90s fastball, as well as a cutter and a slider, but control is clearly an issue.
He is also optionable and can be controlled for five years, so the Bucs can see if they can help him harness his stuff, without having to commit a big league roster spot. Pittsburgh’s southpaw relief contingent is currently headlined by Gregory Soto, with Evan Sisk and now Montgomery also in the mix.
In order to get those players, the Pirates are making a notable subtraction from their rotation. Burrows, 26, was an 11th-round pick and spent many years in the middle range of Pittsburgh’s top 30 prospects. However, he has increased his stock lately. He has thus far tossed 99 1/3 innings in his big league career with a 3.90 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 41.9% ground ball rate. He has averaged in the mid-90s with his four-seamer and sinker while also throwing a slider, curveball and changeup. He has also thrown 83 2/3 innings in the minors over the past two seasons with a 4.20 ERA, 27.4% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate.
The Pirates are hoping that their trades this offseason have bolstered their lineup and bullpen, while the rotation could still be a strength despite the subtractions. Even without Oviedo and Burrows, they still have Skenes, Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Hunter Barco, Thomas Harrington and others in the mix. Jared Jones is still recovering from Tommy John surgery but should rejoin that group at some point in 2026.
Burrows is a sensible addition for the Astros. Injuries tore apart their rotation in 2026. Luis Garcia required yet another elbow surgery and was jettisoned from the roster. Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski and Brandon Walter all required Tommy John surgery during the 2025 season and are facing lengthy absences.
In addition to the injury issues, they also lost Framber Valdez to free agency and don’t appear likely to re-sign him. That’s because they are reportedly hoping to avoid the competitive balance tax in 2026. RosterResource pegs them for a CBT number of around $220MM, which is roughly $24MM shy of the $244MM base threshold. That gives them some ability to do things but they also have other needs on the roster and presumably want to keep some powder dry for midseason additions.
Put it all together and the Astros came into the winter with a rotation consisting of Hunter Brown and a series of question marks. Cristian Javier should have a spot next year but he had middling results in 2025 after recovering from his own Tommy John surgery. They can’t count on Lance McCullers Jr. for anything after he posted a 6.51 ERA in his return from a lengthy injury absence. Jason Alexander is in the mix but is a veteran journeyman. Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France, Colton Gordon, AJ Blubaugh and Miguel Ullola are on the 40-man but they’re all either unestablished at the big league level or struggled with injuries in 2025.
Adding to the rotation was obviously necessary but the budgetary situation has impacted their approach. Instead of going after top free agents, they have given modest deals to reclamation project Nate Pearson and KBO returnee Ryan Weiss.
Burrows also fits into the low-cost mode. He has less than a year of service time, meaning he’s still years away from arbitration and even further from free agency. He also still has an option season remaining, so the Astros can send him to Triple-A throughout the year if other guys push him for a rotation spot.
To get that affordable rotation upgrade, they are subtracting from their outfield mix and their long-term pitching pipeline. Melton, now 25, debuted in 2025 but didn’t hit the ground running. He hit just .157/.234/.186 this year, though in a tiny sample of 78 plate appearances. A right ankle sprain cost him a decent chunk of the season, as he only got into 67 games between Triple-A and the majors.
His minor league work is naturally more impressive. Prior to this trade, many outlets considered him the top prospect in Houston’s system. He’s considered a plus outfielder and baserunner. Though his 2025 was shortened by injury, he swiped at least 30 bags in the two previous minor league seasons. In 1,146 minor league plate appearances, he has a 22.6% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate, 48 home runs, .255/.334/.462 line and 110 wRC+.
Though Melton had reached the big leagues, he was part of a somewhat jumbled outfield mix consisting of Jake Meyers, Cam Smith, Jesús Sánchez, Zach Cole and Zach Dezenzo, with Yordan Alvarez also in the mix from time to time when he’s not the designated hitter. Meyers has been in some trade rumors but Melton was perhaps more appealing to the Rays. Meyers is down to two years of club control and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $3.5MM salary next year.
Melton has less than a year of service time, so he comes with six full years of control. He also has two option seasons remaining, so the Rays can keep him in Triple-A if he hasn’t yet earned a big league job with them. The Rays effectively swap him into their outfield mix for Mangum. He’ll compete for playing time with Chandler Simpson, Josh Lowe, Cedric Mullins, Jake Fraley, Jonny DeLuca, Richie Palacios and others.
Brito is also an attractive piece but he’s farther away. An amateur signing out of Venezuela, he has limited professional experience, having not yet reached the Double-A level. Thus far, he has shown big strikeout stuff but he’s clearly still working on controlling his stuff. He has thrown 103 minor league innings over 2024 and 2025 with a 2.36 ERA, walking 11.7% of batters faced but also punching them out at a 35% clip. Baseball America had him ranked as the #3 prospect in the Astros’ system before the deal.
The Rays have been busy today, as they have also sent Shane Baz to the Orioles for four prospects and a draft pick. This deal is also future-focused for them, as they have sent out three big leaguers for two prospects. Given the young and controllable talent they acquired, it’s possible this is some kind of setback for a rebuild.
On the other hand, Lowe was already a classic Rays trade candidate, as he is relatively expensive for them and nearing free agency. Baz isn’t quite the same, as he can still be controlled for three more seasons, but he is projected for a $3.1MM salary next year. Maybe the Rays will now pivot to investing in the roster, now that they’ve saved some money and bolstered their farm system.
Given that this deal involves three teams and half a dozen players, most of whom are young and controllable for years to come, it’s going to take quite a while to determine whether it was wise for the clubs involved. For now, it aligns with their immediate needs.
The Astros have bolstered their rotation without having to pay big bucks. They have subtracted one of their top prospects in Melton, but from an area of the roster with some depth. Brito is another notable prospect gone but he’s been replaced by a pitcher who can provide more help in the near term.
The Rays have saved a bit of money by trading Lowe. They also subtracted a couple of other players but one of them was in a crowded outfield mix with some fourth outfielder tendencies, the other a clearly talented but volatile reliever.
The Pirates were widely expected to move starting pitching to try to add to their position player group and this is the second time this winter they have executed a trade with that aim. There’s a bit of risk in giving up a controllable starter for an injury-prone bat with just one year of control and a couple of fringier pieces, but they needed to do something for the lineup and free agency was proving challenging. They have gone the trade route instead and used their area of greatest strength to hopefully patch over weaknesses elsewhere.
Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the elements of the deal. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com and Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reported that the deal was done but pending medical reviews. Rome and Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the deal was done.
Photos courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Kim Klement Neitzel, Nathan Ray Seebeck, Charles LeClaire, Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Wow. Love a big trade.
Nutting loves a Lowe payroll.
He’s trying to spend just enough this year to avoid talk of a salary floor in the next CBA.
No one would ever agree to a cap without a floor in MLB. Players hopefully never agree to any cap at all; no need to make billionaire owners even wealthier.
salary caps are so odd MLB basically has one all they really need to do is say keep the luxury tax going but institute a hard cap of some ludicrous number say 250 million just so on paper there’s a cap. That’s the only way I see a salary floor coming. It will be very interesting to see how the small markets in the NHL fair with the skyrocketing cap as for the last 20 years even though not every team spends to the cap every year small markets like Columbus and even the Florida panthers have been able to spend to the cap becoming super competitive due to good front offices. That brings in crowds drives up revenue and all that. But with the cap going from like 80 somthing a few years ago to around 110 next year lots of the reports are saying those small markets won’t be able to compete again. But that’s yet to be seen and hard to believe when you have the penguins who even though they have a storied history aren’t really a big market just sold for like 2 billion
I believe Pittsburgh is trying to take on enough new salary this year to avoid a grievance being filed against them for not spending enough money as a revenue share recipient (like Oakland had to last year).
Adding Lowe’s $11.5M salary helps some, as did signing Soto but I believe they need to spend much more than this. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decide to land a big fish like Murakami from Japan. We’ll know by Monday if they do.
For the Rays, they dump salary and get a heck of a pitching prospect in Brito, while Houston adds a MLB starter to its roster. The trade makes sense for all 3 teams.
Rays are the team that needs to have MLB crack down on them for not spending! At least Pittsburgh extended Reynolds.
I still think they should try to extend Konnor Griffen and Bubba Chandler and that would address some of their grievance issues if the deals are structured the right way.
Yeah, any cap needs to come with a floor which will require greatly increased revenue sharing.
It’s a topic for another day but the financial structure of baseball is a nightmare. Kids can buy into the KC Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers bit have no reason expect the Royals or Pirates to consistently compete.
There’s no grievance issues. Nutting doesn’t care about grievance. He just wants his revenue sharing and does everything needed to get it. File a grievance every year he doesn’t give a it. What are people going to think any worse of him? He’s at rock bottom.
When Pirates spend 15 20 million more than last year maybe there’s something to your fake news conspiracy theories no idea why media is falling for this garbage. They traded Hayes Bednar and don’t need to spend on a starter and 1b. They can be active and have similar payroll as last year. Will just appear to the low intelligence media and fans that they are spending more. They will spend more if need be but like 5 to q0 million. They will make that up in attendance sponsors etc.
The reason we’ve never had the equivalent of a luxury tax floor (a pauper’s tax?!) is because neither the big-market teams and the smaller-market teams want it. The latter because they don’t want to be forced to spend; the former because they know they’d have to increase their revenue sharing. And the players don’t want it because it inches them closer to a salary cap. That’s why there is no salary cap coming to MLB. The owners will only want a cap without a floor. The players want nothing to do with it. Everyone’s making money. We will miss exactly zero games in 2027.
@Dorothy
I doubt they care much about the grievance and here is why…. they never really did before 😀
The last CBA plus the media rights really hurt a lot of teams, the pirates probably more than most since they already are vulnerable to non-baseball financial bumps
It is my belief (i could be way off) that the reason the pirates have been able to push through is because they didn’t over spend when it was pointless to do so. Now they have what could be the best rotation in baseball, they have a baseball reason to do so.
In fairness to the Pirates management, Hayes is a defense only player—literally one of the worst bats in MLB. Relievers are fungible and Bednar was not consistent.
joew- You got the point.
Spending since 2018 is like putting lipstick on a pig to make it look better.
Without fine departments in scouting,drafting,and development small market teams go nowhere.
Cherington has been fine in drafting and pitcher development,but lousy in hitting development and trades.
This is a pretty good trade and one that I was really hoping for.
I was worried at first because Lowe is close to free agency but they had to get a good hitter.
Burrowes pitched better than what I thought he would last year but is not proven over an extended period.They did however get two more players in the deal who may or may not be impactful but seem to add to the roster and have been ML’ers.
They have a number of players that they can put on waivers to fit them onto the roster.
One can see why it takes so long to make three team trades.
This is the last hurrah for Cherington unless the Pirates start winning this year.
This makes Barco a starter,and may signal that they could not get enough for Keller.
This what Cherington had to do and I give him credit for doing it.
The union has already gone the grievance route and lost.
A lot of low intelligence around.
Agreed, Dream. I like this trade. Now can they get one more bat?
Agree. But boy, would it be nice to get another nice bat that can play OF and do some DH work
Maybe. They would have signed Polanco if the Mets didn’t over pay. Might be interested is Suarez if someone isn’t hot for him. Or one of the Japanese players. Lots of outfielders available. You can go bounce back or depth route. Who knows what’s available in trade.
If nothing else they can tread water until trade deadline. Cruz Reynolds Suwinski Davis don’t have to do much to improve. They were all pretty much rock bottom in 2025. Full season of Horwitz. Flores. Maybe Triolo can do better. Hopefully get 1 more though.
They definitely should before they get good since if they don’t then they will lose them like how it’s already too late with Skenes
If only they resigned Skenes before his minors debut…
Weird tangent about the NHL. But ok.
I absolutely love this trade, Mendoza. 2B is upgraded immensely immediately, a controllable switch-hitting 4th outfielder who may play himself into more over the next five years, and a flame-throwing LHP who will be elite if the control can get under control. All for a SP who would slot into maybe a #5, and possibly #6 depending on Barco (you know my feelings that Jones should be closer). A 3B upgrade and this team can be dangerous! All they need is a below-average offense with this pitching – and below-average would be a serious improvement over the historically bad.that it has been..
You’re saying they don’t need to spend on 1B, weren’t you screaming from the rooftops that they were in on and needed Alonso?
If the Royals got lucky with a guy to George Brett’s level(NFL Mahomes) to build around they could.Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt are it.
Love the name
Forgot to put @dorothymantooth
I seriously doubt it but they may have already tried. Takes 2.
from everything I have been reading paul Skenes went to Ben Cherington demanded they improved the offense this season and keeping Skenes happy is what obviously matters to this organization
I hope for Bucs fans sake they keep improving and don’t cheap out. Wasting Skenes’ best years would be a war crime. Going to citi to watch deGrom’s starts was an absolute blast. It turned into a regular thing for me and my nephew. Having an ace like Skenes is a once in a generation experience for many teams and Bucs fans deserve winning baseball more than most others. I remember rooting for guys like Drabek, Van Slyke and the rest of Leyland’s crew when they came close to the WS
The MLBPA can and should hold out for clearer verbiage in the revenue sharing clause as it pertains to spending by recipients. They should also speed up the grievance process.
Disagree, Dorothy.
To me, the biggest factor in the Pirates doing anything, however minimal, was Skenes and even Cutch making their feelings about bringing bats here. One is the best pitcher in baseball and the other, about as sacred of a player in this town we’ve seen in years. Fans complaining is one thing but when your most respected players chirp, it raises a red flag even the cheap owner takes notice of
I think the league will give them a break since their stadium got destroyed and all.
If the floor is already 26 players times the minimum, it’s well under 26mil. Miami’s 30th payroll ranking would have required 2.6mil per roster spot minimum, which blows up the 0-3 player affordability for owners, and the pre-arb / arb system in place. Raising the foundation raises the entire structure overall. Players will not get that.
Current projections have the Pirates’ payroll higher than the Rays, even with the Rays spending $14 million to bring in Mullins and Matz. One would think that new owners, going back to the Trop, would want to encourage fans to return. But the Rays look like the consensus last place team in the East and fans can be expected to stay home in droves.
Nutting turns into Mr Krabs when they’re about to file a grievance and are after his revenue sharing “they’re after me cash boy-o!”
Pirates need to capitalize and add anothef big bat in free agency,
But gotta admit thaf this is a huge step in the right direction.
Burrows will be good, but he was essentially Pirates 5 with how good their rotation is
Goku- They do need another hitter.
I am thinking Casas or Ohearn and Hopkins for DH and Castellanos in RF until Password is ready.
Gonzalez moves to SS until Connor is ready and then becomes a UT man.
Sign IKF as the main UT man now.
Lowe was the key and I figured that the price could be high but they got value in return
Why do you want a toxic teammate?
Castellanos would be cheap and want a bounce back year and if he did not keep his mouth in check 2025 will be his last year.
Castellanos is still owed $20m in 2026 with the Phillies but they’re trying to trade him. If the Pirates can get Philly to pay at least half that could be an option.
we had Tommy Pham last year, he’s as toxic as any player in baseball
Or more likely via trade, Goku
They still have depth at pitcher and can afford to make a deal
I am looking at paying Castellanos no more than $4M but that is $4M less that the Phillies have to pay double for him.
Set your sights higher. Phillies would pay much more than half. Adding Castellanos would mean no more McCutchen. You don’t want Nick in the field.
Nice basketball trade.
He misunderstood what was going on. He was asked “do you Lowe on your payroll” and thought they said “do you want a lower payroll?”
Poorest Lowe, when you thought nothing could be worse then playing for the Rays?
He’ll be playing in MLB’s nicest ballpark and behind one of the best pitching staffs. I actually like New York and the Yankees, despite morons like you
Old-Arrogant Yankee and Dodgers fans are here for entertainment purposes only.
I would much rather be a moron, then be washed up. But then again that’s just me.
granted the Pirates haven’t had a winning season in 10 years, it’s better than being a Yankees fan only to watch other teams make it to the World Series every year
me too… I’m not interested in any of the teams involved but love when multiple teams make trades…it’s always interesting to see what/who is involved
A trade that works for all 3 teams.
Wasn’t A’s Billy Beane who started three teams trades? He was masterful 🗣️
You can’t be serious.
You think Billy beane came up with the idea of three team trades? What? Is this Billy?
I seen Billy Beane on TV. He looked exactly like Brad Pitt
In the moneyball book, it talks about how he would often try to swing 3 team trades. It uses the example of getting Ted Lilly from the Yankees in a 3 team trade and him trying to get involved in a cliff Floyd trade. But he didn’t invent the concept as far as I know
It was invented by Abner Tripleday.
You’re welcome.
Did you know Abner Tripleday played Brad Pitt in a play at Fords theater. Opening act for My American cousin.
Too soon?
@ Butters. That was awesome! Well played.👏👏
In the words of Doc Holliday, “This is funny”
Butters: No. But there was a play written by one Tom Taylor in 1858 and performed at Ford’s Theatre long before Pitt was born called “Our American Cousin.”
In the LAST words of Doc Holliday. 😂
Thanks for sharing, brother.
The Mets, Braves, Pirates, and Rangers pulled off a four-team trade in 1977..
That was also the year that I believe Dave Kingman became the first player to ever play for four major league teams in the same season.
Many more have played for four teams in one year, especially within the last 10 years or so (with so much more in-season roster churn than I remember there being in the “aughts” and earlier.
agentx: Indeed. The Mets traded him to the Padres on June 15, the same day they traded Tom Seaver to the Reds.
Kingman also played for the Angels and Yankees later in the season.
We will have to look back to the last 125 years of AL/NL baseball to find out. Let us know the answer.
Fun fact: In 1920, the New York Giants, the Boston Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies made the first three-team trade in MLB history. Casey Stengal was part of the deal.
@Yankees. Thanks for sharing, brother‼️
That really was a fun fact.
No, multiple team trades have gone on for decades, way before Billy Beane.
Thanks for sharing, brother‼️
I can only hear those “brother”’s in Hulk Hogan’s voice.
I wish MLB the show would add that feature. 3 and 4 team trades. Add more slots to trade more players. NBA 2k franchise has yo to 4 team trades. And they also have 6 slots to trade players and draft picks.
I wanna be able to make a 5 for 2 d ok player deal on MLB the show.
It would be fun to recreate a 4 team trade like the one from 2004. Red Sox, Cubs, Expos and Twins.
30 team trade
That would be very interesting to see. Each team trades their most expensive player. Soto, Arson, Seager, Ohtani, Dansby Samsonite just to name a few. Tbh I’m not sure if Dansby is the cubs highest paid player right meow
That would take take thirty years to do with constant player changes due to retirements.
League maximum would be five team trades.
I cannot imagine Soto, Seager, Ohtani, Altuve, etc. getting moved.
Logjammer
“Dansby Samsonite” will bring a lot of baggage to his new team
Hope this trade happens. This offseason has been lacking in the trade department so far.
The only way it won’t happen is if there is an issue with the medicals – otherwise this deal is done.
Hope everyone is healthy enough. Great haul for the Alleghenys if these guys pan out.
That’s a fun one. Let’s see it go down.
Something Cashman doesn’t know how to do a 3way. I guess he boring with the wife. Haha
Inserts Homer backing into the bushes gif…
You’ve seen him – who’d want him in such?
Let’s get a wife swap like Yankees did in 70s
Mike Kekich & Fritz Peterson, I believe
The Pablo Torre Finds Out episode on that wild story is worth watching.
Ahhh, they lived in my town. Shudder.
Spoke too soon, yikes the Rays really give up all three of those guys for 2 prospects??? Mason and Magnum were better alone.
Do it
Well the pirates spent guys there it goes
Is Montgomery going to the Pirates or Rays?
Looks like he would be going back to the Pirates.
he’s on the Rays right now
According to the headline, he’s getting traded to the team he’s already on.
yeah, may need less AI and more editing/proofreading.
Rays are going to trade him to the Pirates for a PTBNL, Pittsburgh fulfilling the conditions by making later happen now and sending him back to the Rays
DanzigInTheDark: How do you know that and why would they do it?
(it’s a joke – original post mistakenly said Montgomery was going to the Rays in the trade instead of Pittsburgh)
DanzigInTheDark: Even very small jokes have their place, I suppose.
I’m hoping these two teams, who have fleeced Pittsburgh over and over, would do the Bucs a solid here and not get over on Cherington and Co. too bad
They’re getting the best player right now in Lowe. Unless there are more pieces involved.
A one year rental of him though. Plus a 30 year old 4th OF and a warm body lefty for the pen. And if you believe the $30M to spend claim, that leaves about $12M to find a 3B and a DH, and ideally still want a corner OF. Meh.
Don’t discount Mangum and Montgomery. Montgomery throws 100, and Mangum is a super defender and a base disruptor. He never got the opportunity and he took advantage. All time hit leader in the SEC.
How do you get to $12M left? Lowe is owed $11.5M so we would have closer to $19 or 20M left over.
Yeah and I would absolutely take a basically average hitting outfielder as a throw-in for a trade where we get Lowe for our #6 pitcher.
Soto cost around $8M, right?
Looking at his defense and injury history, Lowe might be the DH, which would help.
if you are referring to Montgomery as a “warm body”, you obviously have not seen his stuff.
Ah yeah, forgot about Soto. Good point.
Still think this is a great trade. Absolutely improves the lineup (even if he ends up being a DH but I haven’t heard much about him not expected to play the field) immediately which is what we need.
Mangum plays all 3 OF spots and Garcia has to be an early favorite for RF.
DH will probably be McCutchen coming back at $5 million. 3B is tougher to fill but the Pirates could go trade or free agency. Both Urias’, Yoan Moncada, Paul DeJong, Gio Urshela, Luis Rengifo all could be had for less than $7 million and on the trade front they could try to make a deal with the White Sox (Vargas, Sosa, Mead, Ramos). Lots of ways to go. Of course they could probably Bring Pham back cheap or wait til the Phillies finally cut Castellanos and sign him for league minimum to help the OF/DH mix if McCutchen doesn’t come back
Password will start at AAA because that’s what the Pirates do. He’ll come up in June, after Super 2.
Mangum has no power and will likely be flipped at the deadline for a lottery level prospect to a team that can use a defensive specialist. Certainly not a starter for a team that’s trying to add offense. 4th OFs are valuable, but only when you have 3 better ones.
Montgomery has a 5+ ERA and the Rays aren’t exactly known for giving up good arms. Lots of pitchers have great stuff, only matters if you can use it.
Yes, the Bucs can now fill their remaining holes with bargain bin guys. That’s what they’ve done for years. You don’t fix a terrible offense that way.
If Brandon Lowe is a bargain bin addition, who is the better bat we should have gotten? Polanco for double what we’re paying Lowe this year? Marte who seems to be leaving Arizona because of his clubhouse presence? How is Lowe bargain bin?
Reynolds will be in RF Cruz center this guy Suwinski or password left. Unless they sign trade someone or think Lowe can play outfield.
Pirates will spend 30m because they have to want to. Payroll will still be similar to last year probably a bit more.
Didn’t say Lowe was bargain bin. Said they’ll now have to fill the remaining holes with bargain bin options. Would have rather seen Nick G or Triolo at 2B and seen them spend on a power guy for 3B, and/or move Keller’s salary and reinvest it into the offense. Now they don’t have a spare pitcher and they won’t raise payroll to get another impact bat. And no way is the Lowe improvement enough to make their offense so much as adequate.
Pirates should go after Casey Schmitt.
Suwinski is a fourth OF.
Griffin, Valdez, Florentino, Gray and Brethowr win for the Pirates. The first three should be up this year.
Suwinski should be released since he’s out of options and stinks
Mangum is fun to watch. A spark the Pirates haven’t had.
I’m just glad he’s out of the AL East, seemed like the Sox couldn’t get him out last season
Its a good trade for the Pirates, they add a nice bat on a low AAV deal, they get a bullpen piece in Montgomery and add Mangum who has 5 years of team control.
If Lowe has a great first half and the Pirates are out of contention, they can flip him at the deadline. Hopefully Cruz has a monster firsf half. They can trade him too.
Should trade Cruz this off season to the Mets for Jonah Tong.
If they are competitive in the NL Central, they have good prospects ready to contribute and a second basket of prospects to offer in trade. They could make a run this season but Id say they will be in real good position in a year or two.
Id say Griffin, Valdez, Florentino and Brethowr should all be untouchable. Pirates are looking good this offseason.
Yes Congratulations Pirates, my bad. A for sure playoff team now. The Mutts are not trading for Cruz. Just give up on that, and give it a rest. While Cruz can hit, he plays no good defense. He reminds me of Juan Soto out there with the glove.
Cruz does two things well
He’s fast and strikes out looking, while leading the majors in the latter category
Your knowledge of Cruz seems to be limited. Maybe it’s the exit velocities on his occasional homers that have you all hot and bothered
The kid was bad at SS and is a butcher in CF. Takes wrong tracks to fly balls, misjudges liners and ground balls, throws to the wrong base
At the plate, he’ll occasionally hit a long ball but waves the white flag against left handers and seems to be mystified where ideas like pitch and count recognitions are concerned.
Worst of all, he’ll often dog it on the base paths or in the outfield. Remind me how that all compares with Soto again
Granted, he’s been blessed with physical attributes and athleticism. Shame no one has been able to break through that ego
I’m trying to think of players like Jack who’ve been given this much rope. I like the kid and I do think he works hard to get better. To me, in that regard he’s the opposite of Cruz, who seems to be content with what he’s shown. But I agree with another poster here who said he’s been fooled with so many times, I think he’s confused. They did this with Davis, too
I like Cruz but agree he lacked focus and effort last season was frustrating for him. I thought the Mets were in on him and I think Cruz gets it on track and blossoms into a big time hitter.
One thing is certain, I followed a few Pirates games last season. When Cruz is up, he gets pitched around quite a bit. One game I followed, he didn’t get a single pitch to hit all game.
If Lindor and Soto are hitting behind him, he is going to get good looks.
He wanted paid, he didnt get it, he dragged up last season.
Tong is ready for the rotation. Cruz is affordable for three seasons. Do the Mets make that trade? I make that trade if I’m the Mets. If Im the Pirates, Tong alone feels a little light but its enticing.
Skenes, Chandler, Keller, Jones, Tong, Harrington – if they stay healthy, it could be a real nice rotation.
I wonder how Cruz will do if he’s not looked to as our big power bat. What some see as laziness I see as a potentially immature player who can’t perform under pressure. Skenes is an anomaly in this where he is a young guy who welcomes challenge and pressure. Cruz does not seem to be that guy and if he comes out from under that pressure and just performs without those eyes, I think he can explode. We’ll see.
To be fair, he tied for the NL lead in the former category as well
I watch most Pirates games. While I understand your thoughts on Cruz, I have to laugh a bit. On one hand, sure, might as well pitch around him in certain tight situations. I mean, there’s no other threat in the lineup. On the other, good pitchers likely see no problem throwing to Cruz. Sure, if you make a mistake he’ll hit it. But he’s undisciplined and more than anything else, is certainly not a cerebral hitter
I’m a little taken aback by your suggestion here. The only thing the Pirates don’t need is pitching. They still have a great deal of depth in that area
Id bat Lowe 7 or 8 in the lineup
7 or 8 in Dodgers lineup maybe. He’s 3 in Pittsburgh
Pirates made out like well Pirates here. Best loot of the deal.
I’m glad they finally found a power-hitter. I’ve always liked Brandon Lowe. Just keep him healthy. I wonder if the Pirates are in on either of Okamoto or Murakami.
Let’s get a 5 team trade going
Preller on line 1.
jerry dipoto has entered the chat
3 more! Let’s get this done! Lol
Breslow and Cashman are napping. Call back later.
David Forst, the A’s are no stranger to the multi-team trade
They’re done napping. Start the first leg of the trade. We’ve got 5
Mike Elias on the line…again….
Buster is waiting by the phone.
Better check the title. Mason Montgomery is already on Tampa Bay.
in fairness, it’s easy to get confused as the trade as written makes no sense for the rays
@moneyball. Im guessing brito is someone they like, but i can see them getting another player. It will be updated.
Rays like Brito. However, it’s not finalized and hope Astros get some more. Misevaluation of talent.
The Rays have been trying to dump Lowe all winter. He’s 32 next year and the highest paid player on the team and a rental. He is at this point a one trick pony. Hits HR’s but his contact rate is bad and his D at 2B has become well below average.
He’s also played first base, according to the article and Horowitz also plays second base
Yeah, the Rays have got to really like Brito to surrender one year of Lowe trading slightly down in my opinion from Mangum to Melton.
In the article, it has him goin to Pittsburgh
Lowe must be thrilled!
He is going to be treated like Bonds in Pittsburgh
Blockbuster addition!
I like Burrows, but I’ll totally be happy if it’s for Lowe, Mangum, and Montgomery. Lowe brings some power, Mangum can be a good leadoff man or 9th hole hitter, and Montgomery is a lefty who has some very impressive perpherials.
Yeah, depending on how this shakes out, this could be a total win for the Pirates if we give up Burrows and another prospect. Can’t imagine we’d just be giving up Burrows for this.
Burrows looked really good this year, especially down the stretch. I think if we’re giving up more than a lottery ticket low level prospect, it would be an overpay.
I agree if it was just Burrows for Lowe. But if we’re really getting the other two pieces as well, I’d be surprised if it’s just for Burrows even for his upside and years of control. But I would love to be wrong on this and see us win this trade.
Is Lowe going to be your DH? That’s where he needs to be.IMO.
I’d prefer if the Pirates made him DH for like 50+ games this year. You can get away with Jared Triolo part-time at second base if he can maintain like a 90-ish OPS+.
Triolo will be the third baseman for 30-40 games to see how he is hitting.
Mangum is a fan favorite so it makes sense to trade him. Never let the fans get comfortable.
Well, he’s almost 30 and coming off his first season in the bigs. His 345 Babip was the only thing keeping his .330 OBP as high as it was. The .296 AVG will be coming down. Naturally the Rays are going to get what they can for him before the regression next year.
Mangum has good wheels so I’d assume he can keep that BABIP up for at least a couple more years. He’s basically gonna be a high-end 4th outfielder at league minimum for two more years so he’s definitely a nice piece for the Pirates to add.
Yeah, but he has 91st percentile speed, so his BABIP will likely be higher than normal. Even if he only hits like .270 with a .310 OBP, he’ll be a perfectly fine 4th/platoon defensive first outfielder
Rays don’t have enough fans to worry about fan favorites. And what fans they have should be used to players being traded away by now.
I agree, Danzig. So long as Pittsburgh depends on Mangum as nothing more than the solid 4th OF that I think he can be for 2-3 more seasons, the Pirates will be fine.
Mangum as a 4th OF can become in all the best ways the exact opposite of Jack Suwinski (the only downside being Mangum’s lack of power).
Suwinski only hit 3 homers last year
Like any three team deal one side always looks shortchanged. I think Tampa got the bad end of this one.
The Rays often find a way to win trades like this, we’ll see how this one pans out for them
As a Rays fan this narrative is getting old. The Rays use to win trades like this under previous regimes however if you look at the last couple of years the Rays are getting fleeced more often than not.
Screw Jim Bowden . As a pirate fan would be awesome to get meltin as opposed to mangum but he is a solid switch hitting outfielder who can play all three positions and he doesn’t strike out much Good trade all the way around
Pretty solid package going to Pittsburgh in the deal if it gets done. Kind of surprised the Astros and Rays are getting less unless there are other pieces to still be announced
Lowe is not very valuable. He’s a rental and worth about 1.5 WAR, and he makes $12m. He may actually be a little under water contract-wise. The only reason he has a little value is because the 2B market is so miserable.
Lowe wont play much 2B in Pittsburgh, I bet he DHs
It’s Rosenthal reporting so I don’t see it happening
I hope this trade does not happen as an Astros fan. Brito is going to be very good
There has to be more going to Tampa in this deal
Why? Seems about right to me and a classic Rays trade. Other than the fact that Mason Montgomery is not going to Tampa since he’s already there.
Record for longest MLBTR headline?
Yes, and inaccurate too!
Seriously. Don’t need to put the whole story in the headline
so the rays get trash in Melton and Brito and give up Montgomery’s Mangum and Lowe?
someone explain this with anything other than this is the rays being cheap
Just because you know nothing about the players doesn’t make them trash.
I guarantee I know more about these prospects than you do.
Melton is basically a young Mangum. Brito maybe could be a piece, but for what they are giving up, the return signifies this was about getting money out first.
You’re a sour Rays fan.
MLB Pipeline said that Brito can be the Astros No. 1 prospect at the end of the year. Melton is a 50 grade prosepcts. @Money you know no clue about the prospects.
that isn’t saying all that much as the Stros have one of the worst pipelines in the game. Brito is fine (maybe trash was harsh), but for what the rays are giving up???
Melton is basically a younger unproven Jake Mangum.
let’s be clear, this was about shedding money.
Astros have one of the worst pipelines yes. But you’re treating literally almost every prospect like a 40 grade prospect. Melton is a 50 grade and most farm systems only have at most 6.
(Unless you’re the Seattle Mariners or a goated farm team).
Rays got the best return with Brito and Melton.
Pirates didnt give up too much and got some nice pieces. They are on the cusp of competing this season and could surprise. They could be 10 games out at the end of June and recoup a prospect or two on Lowe. Naylor brought back a pair of good pitching prospects. In that way its a good trade.
Astros get a rotation piece but paid heavily for it.
Burrows was surprisingly consistent last season. I thought he was going to get blown up. He had some terrible metrics, high fly ball rates, high barrel and hard hit rates but he managed to put together some good starts. A full slate of innings could work against him. He was on an innings limit last season.
I think the Astros gave up two good prospects and didn’t get a great return.
Nah. Not cheap. Maybe they are ahead of the other teams with their player evaluation. Always keep an eye on who the Rays trade away.
Payback from the Glasnow trade? Terrible return.
Astros have nothing to do with it.
Glasnow was one thing. The kid threw hard but pitching coaches here couldn’t help him refine his pitching and they gave up on him
But giving away Meadows at that time was outrageous and remember his first couple of years in TB instead of the kid’s anxieties later.
You gave away an everyday player with power for a so-so pitcher who was gonna make 7-8 starts in trying to get a wild card berth. Ridiculous
Am i missing something with this headline? Mason Montgomery would be headed to Pitt, not Tampa
I’ve made no secret that I really want Lowe as a pirate. Fair salary for this season and has been on the market for a while, without seeming like a ton of interest. I think Burrows has looked very good. His stuff is real and plays in the majors. Maybe a bit steep considering one year of Lowe but other pieces help and still have Ashcraft and Chandler.
I do not think that Houston is that good at making trades.
I know Milwaukee and Tampa make good trades. Fregosi for Ryan was a great trade for the angels. Wouldn’t you hold on to Ryan if you had him.
What does the Fregosi/Ryan trade from 1971 have to do with Houston, Milwaukee, or Tampa?
They did well on this one
Why do you trade Brito?
Maybe because Brito is 5’10” and 155 lbs. at age 21 and they think he is too small to last as a starter. Just guessing.
That’s what the scouting report says. 155 pounds? Yikes that is light.
That’s what Baseball Reference says. Maybe they tried to get him to gain weight and he can’t seem to do it…or maybe Baseball Reference doesn’t have his latest weight.
I’m not a fan of this trade. Trading Melton? Fine
However, I don’t like the fact they trade Brito and only get Burrows.
I agree. I think Melton is very average despite his hype, but Brito looks like he could be an Ace. I am shocked they traded him.
Hope this deal is not finalized.
Three teams going nowhere just shuffling the deck.
I liked Jake Mangum a lot more when I still thought his name was Jake Magnum.
@neverremember
The Pirates have arguably the best starting pitching staff in the majors and are a few good bats away from contending
So maybe do some research before making ridiculous assumptions
He was talking about Jake Mangum’s name, he never mentioned the Pirates’ pitching staff.
MLB- The Man was responding to Never Remember.
MLB has reading comprehension issues, Mendoza
Your first comment didn’t include you @ Never Remember. Even before that, you responded to the wrong comment then, because for me, you responded to King Loch. I also don’t have Never Remember muted and I’ve seen his comments on other articles, so I know he hasn’t muted me.
No need to jump to insults about my reading comprehension.
Speaking of insults…..
“I liked Jake Mangum a lot more when I still thought his name was Jake Magnum.”
“He was talking about Jake Mangum’s name, he never mentioned the Pirates’ pitching staff.”
You must think someone is the love child of I am Sam and simple Jack to think they couldn’t have figured that out for themselves.
And you can keep track of who’s muted who but never noticed that these how can I say it politely woke soft language PC….. these “longtime fans” frequently have difficulties replying to the right person.
Just scroll to bottom of comments.
“So I guess you’re proposing Keller for Duran. I don’t think the BoSox go for it. But I agree with you”
Who the heck knows who this guy is replying to. He doesn’t even know. They’re on 27 different medications, slobbering on their keyboards just smashing buttons.
Still they are smart enough functioning enough to know the person talking about Mangum wasn’t mentioning the pirates rotation.
I only take 15 medications and do not slobber.
Unless I see a long legged redhead.
I don’t keep track of who I muted. Like I said, I’ve seen comments from him before and I can check my own profile to see if I muted him.
Blind leading Blind
Speaking of ridiculous, “the best starting pitching staff in the majors”.
What are you smoking ?
Let’s start with Skenes, Ashcraft, Keller and Chandler
What are YOU smoking?
Skenes is the only top pitcher. Ashcraft and Chandler are unproven. Keller is mid rotation.
What about…
Yoshiobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, River Ryan/Gavin Stone/Emmett Sheenan?
How about that?
Jake Magnum has the sound of a square-jawed, rugged individualist.
Or a hard-boiled detective with a short fuse from a gritty 70s/80s cop show.
It works if Astros get another starter
chandler rome said burrows only player heading to hou if it happens….
If this trade term is completed, here’s my grade.
Rays-A-
PIrates-B
Astros-C
Except that the Pirates needed power badly and now so that it upgrades their grade.
They dealt from strength.
In other words, this is Mike Burrows for 2 prospects. Not worth it at all.
Melton seems like a 4th outfielder (sss) and Brito can be replaced. I personally like Ethan Pecko more than Brito. Astros NEEDED another pitcher if not 2. Hunter Brown is the ace and great then what? A bunch of question marks is what. Can Christian Javier find his “invisible” fastball again? Then a bunch of even bigger question marks. You really have faith in any of the Astros pitchers not named Hunter Brown?
Wasn’t Lowe a pretty big trade chip? This doesn’t seem like a lot for the Rays in return. Especially if they are giving up two other pieces as well. Seems like there would have to be more pieces involved.
I wouldn’t say a big trade chip, probably the biggest they’re making available.
He is a two time AS second baseman on a relatively cheap deal in a market where there are a lot of contending teams that are looking for a 2B. To me, that says big trade chip. Not simply for the Rays, but the entire league.
He’s also a one year rental who has seldom played close to a full season and is a poor defensive 2nd baseman.. The Pirates will not sign him long term, so whatever benefit there is will have to come this season. That’s not a big trade chip, as evidenced by the fact that the Rays have been trying to trade him for a while without any takers.
I hate the term rental. EVERY player is a rental. It is just a question of how long the rental agreement lasts. The Pirates are getting a proven AS second baseman along with two other probable big league players in exchange for a back of the rotation starter. The Rays gave up all of that for two prospects that are not even top 100 in the sport.
My grades (as of this moment)
Pirates – A
Astros – B
Rays – D
Then again, the Rays typically do pporly in these three team deals. Remember when they preferred to add the Nats and grab Steven Souza instead of getting Trea Turner from the Padres?
Doesn’t matter what you think of it. Rental is term teams media fans all use for players one year or less remaining.
If it’s Melton & Brito to the Rays the Rays will need to include more to the Pirates & Astros
@roadtrip. Pirates are probably done with the trade. Most likely someone going to the Astros. Its probably someone from the Pirates
The Rays are giving up the best piece in Brandon Lowe. Melton (#2) and Brito (#7) may be highly ranked on the Astros prospect list, but the Astros farm is not very strong. They only have 1 top 100 guy meaning #2 Melton is not. This would be like getting the #10 and #18 guys from a team like the Mariners or Dodgers. Not exactly a great return for Lowe, a proven commodity in a hot second base market.
Melton was a top 100 guy last year. Sure he was like 95ish but still top 100
But they aren’t trading for him last year, they are trading for him this year.
Fair enough
Burrows by far the best piece. Proven mlb player who throws a baseball with many years remaining.
Proven in one year only.
Has no real history of meeting the physical demands of starting pitching.
The Pirates and Cherington had to make a deal like this to take a chance.
Not particularly close, imho.
This seems like an overpay from HOU. There may be other players involved, sure, but as written, two top 7 team prospects with one possibly top 2 next year and the other on the cusp of MLB for a possible back end starter if he doesn’t regress seems a bit much. It still doesn’t address any of the IF issues they have either.
Houston’s farm is not strong. Their #2 would barely crack the top 10 of a good farm. And their #7 might not even break the top 20.
They wouldn’t crack Pirates top 5. Burrows would be 5th or 6th if a prospect.
The only infield issue they have is too many players who need to play every day. Hardly an “issue”.
WHAT IS HOU DOING???
I’m so angry with Dana Brown. Jim Crane fire this man ASAP
Getting their rotation set. As Hiflew has pointed out twice, the Astros farm system is bottom 3 in the most recent rankings. Giving up 2 prospects for Burrows seems like a win to me
Getting a 6-year starter.
astros always overpay for pitching
This is a sufficient package for Shane Baz when you add Meyers. (Some Rays fans might get mad). But Dana Brown is stupid. Yes Burrows has lots of control some stuff, but Brito alone is better. Melton is unnessacary. Melton for Burrows sounds about right. Not adding Brito.
Agreed. Another Rays masterpiece.
Someone hold Dipoto’s beer.
Huh?? The Rays give up Lowe, Mangum, Montgomery, and get back 2 minor leaguers? Do the Rays feel guilty from the Glasnow trade from several years ago? There’s something missing here.
@always. Look at Brito numbers. He’s a high strikeout pitcher that caught the rays eye.
2 minor leaguers? Brito was solid in the AFL and Melton has big league experience.
Well, wasn’t familiar with them. They appear to be decent prospects. Pirates fans were saying Mangum who? He’s an excellent glove and a base disruptor.
Lowe is a rental, Mangum is old and sucks and they must not think Montgomery will throw strikes
Obviously you haven’t watched Mangum.
He’s about to be 30 and had a .275 xwOBA last year. He isn’t good
Oh I have. He’s old, powerless, and has poor plate discipline. Just a freakish year on batting average thanks to a lot of batted ball luck.
Rays come off VERY well here. As usual. They give up a rental 2B whose contract is about neutral, and get two very nice prospects. Don’t like this for Pitt at all.
Rays get an A- for this. Astros get a C-, Pirates get B-. They traded another valuable starter, Rays traded a offensive force, keeping them from an A+. The Pirates aren’t competing and Lowe is a rental, so it’s a B-. Astros get C- because they traded a lot for a starter. Burrows is a target keeping them and Melton has a 80% bust. They have Ullola, Pecko, Mayer, and Forcucci, as well as Nezuh, keeping them from F.
Man Astros71 stop crying. I saw you crying on TCB also. Brito is UNKNOWN and Melton has looked terrible when given the chance.
Melton can develop and I’m not too sad about Melton. But Brito, Brito is a solid mid rotation starter that is one of my favorite Astros prosepcts in the bare system.
I like this for Pittsburgh. Mangum, while a late bloomer, is a fantastic hitter and has + speed. He immediately slots into a corner OF spot. Lowe becomes a middle of the order DH/2B, albeit for one year. Montgomery is very underrated in this deal, I suspect he will be a leverage lefty, but has a chance to move back into the rotation.
Pirates upgrade two hitters in their lineup and get a lefty high leverage reliever potentially.
They didn’t give up Bubba Chandler, they gave up a nice high floor arm, something they have in abundance.
For once I think the Pirates did very well.
Can we assume something’s off and there are more pieces involved?
Something’s off.
reports seem like its a done deal…
This would be a steal for the Pirates. I’m here for it.
People SERIOUSLY overvaluing Brandon Lowe. He’s a rental worth about 1.5 WAR and he costs $12m. Rays have been trying to move him all off-season.
By that theory, Ketel Marte is also overvalued because the DBacks have been shopping him all off season.
The whole point is that they haven’t been shopping Ketel (teams are asking about him, which is vert different). Marte has $40-50m or more in marginal value. Lowe probably is about zero or a little negative.
ITS NOT JUST LOWE the Pirates are getting. Good grief. Mangum was awesome last year, nearly hit .300, he is like Ted Williams in that lineup. And Montgomery is a excellent piece to bring in to help in the pen. And I could see the Pirates considering him in the rotation in another year or two.
Mangum is a 30 year old rookie 4th OF with zero power and poor patience who had a freakish year in batting average last year. Worth nothing.
Mets giving 20m to Polanco makes Lowe worth 20m because Pirates need power. If they just needed 1 bat they could sign a Japan guy or Suarez. But they need 2. Amd they will probably make more than Lowe. In trades who is actually available and will they fill the same about Burrows.
Let’s goooooo! Great deal for the Pirates and if it doesn’t get finished I will be sad
Is it?
oh my god astros fans were doing this again, its happening
As an Orioles fan I’ll support any trade that gets Mangum the fuuuuuuuuuuugg out of the AL East. That dude is a menace!
Good trade for the Bucs!
Somebody better fix the headline.
How Lowe can you go?
The Pirates
Too bad they took downvotes out a couple of years ago.
Relax, it was just a play on words and recent team results.
In actually, it looks like the Pirates are trying to make moves to compete in a real way. Regardless if it all pays off this season, it’s a win for their fans, who have stayed loyal and definitely deserve better.
Their farm system has produced pitchers but not hitters.
They can afford to trade a few pitchers and also sign some mid level free agents now even if they have to overpay.
This is probably the first year that that can pay off since they were awful for three and a half years and less than mediocre for three more.
Not sure if the loyalty has arisen from stupidity or hope.
Competing for the playoffs and finishing first or second in the division is our only realistic goal.
If only ownership had the bottomless pockets that Dodgers owners have. In fact, maybe they do….they just want to ensure that the next ten generations of Nuttings never have to work, I guess.
Hey but say what you will, Dodger Stadium doesn’t have our pierogi races and bring-your-chipmunk-to-the-ballpark nights like we do. So there. Pure entertainment value
The Astros see something in Mike Burrows. I swear if this is their only addition
Rays got nothing for this…must be making room for an big something or two. Salary dump and pretty good outfielder and pitcher….hmmm
Pretty good outfielder, pretty good pitcher. Get nothing? Huh? Melton will rank towards the top of the Rays system and Brito isn’t far behind.
Never thought I’d say this… but nice work by Cherington. If you’re going to trade a quality arm like Burrows, you’d better get a quality bat and some other pieces you can maybe use now, not prospects. And he did. Burrows may end up being great, but the Bucs are so deep in starting pitching that they can take that chance for the right price.
Monkey-Surprise surprise!
At least it seems like a good deal.
It shows that the Pirates are trying.
Cherington had to do something to keep his job.
It would have been nice to get Naylor or Schwarber or Polanco but those contracts at those lengths and prices will some day be underwater,and maybe even sooner rather than later.
Whoa. Look again dude. They got two excellent near-majors prospects for one year of Lowe and a disposable fourth OF. Brilliant.
Ketel Marte? Could they? Naaa.
Marte’s no trade list includes the Pirates
Rays grade: A-
Astros: B
Pirates: B-
Rays got 2 solid prospects, only gave up 30 yr old rookie & 1 yr of lowe. The only way it works for pittsburgh is if they can compete for playoffs next yr which i doubt. Stros get solid young SP, but gave up good prospects to get him.
B? I think the Astros get a C-
Brito & melton have potential but far from guaranteed to find success @ major lg level. Melton hit .157 in his (limited) debut
Burrows has 100 ip in majors, has done fine. Hou does well developing pitchers (until they all get TJ). gave up a sizable amount but got a promising young arm
You cry way too much.
I think Brito has more potential than his scouting report stays. I think he can be a solid No. 2 starter in time.
@71
Key term “in time”
This is a W now move
Brito might very well outplay burrows eventually. But not for atleast 2-3 yrs
This is similar to redsox trading perales who is more hyped than jake bennet but sox need a pitcher ready for majors next yr as opposed to waiting a couple of yrs
How do you grade a trade based on the team’s overall success? By that logic every team that made a major move last year that didn’t make the playoffs was a bust of a trade?
That list would Soto and Alonso since they didn’t take the Mets to the playoffs and Devers since the Giants missed out, to name just a couple.
I grade trades based on 3 main things.
1. The player’s profile
2. The team’s needs
3. What they gave up
4
There are plenty of paths for this to work out for the Pirates. The first one you mention. But Montgomery has the stuff to become something and have you seen the trade returns for decent relievers lately? And Mangum is a pretty high floor player who might have a bench ceiling but could also be a very good specialist role player. It’s a diverse package whereas they only gave up one piece. A pre arb back of the rotation starter has value but it’s spread out over time and probably doesn’t have a high impact in any one season. Though the Astros seem to be betting on their organization to make good starters out of raw ingredients this year and obviously like Burrows enough.
People will crap on the Pirates no matter what they do but objectively, this is a brilliant move by Cherington who I’ve no fan of. Never did I ever think we could get an impact bat AND another lefty reliever who throws gas AND a solid 4th outfielder for Burrows.
Well done.
BC did very well here. I’ve watched Mangum all last year, he’s fun to watch.
Yep, Im with you. Cherrington has really messed up over the years, but this one is a great move. They have immediately added TWO legit batters into the lineup. They add a very intriguing lefty reliever (who did have a lot of success as a starter in the minors).
Lowe can mostly DH and play some 2B, but PNC will play for lefty hitters. Lowe could go for 30 homers. Mangum is 30 and was sensational last year. If he gives the Pirates 2 or 3 good years this is a win for the Pirates.
I like Burrows, solid guy, but he’s not a super star in the making, He’s a high floor arm, who I think will do well, but considering the Pirates needs he was a logical trade chip. Now the Pirates need to find a way to get one more batter (preferably 3B), though I wouldn’t turn down a buy low on Joey Loperfido, even though he’s OF.
Brito’s scouting report:
mlb.com/milb/prospects/astros/anderson-brito-82090…
Burrows scouting report
mlb.com/milb/prospects/2024/pirates/mike-burrows-6…
I trust the Astros to turn Burrows into a good starter. I do not trust them to keep Burrows healthy. Burrows has a better ceiling but right now I think Brito has a better impact.
There’s 100 mlb innings of video data on Burrows. You are going to be in minority of people using a scouting report from 2024.
Pirates had to overpay a bit here but they desperately needed that power bat from Lowe (and Mangum should help a little, too). Now they should go all-out for Murakami, which will make them an actual contender in that division.
They didn’t over pay.
Well, I like Burrows a lot and think he’s a legit mid-level starter. But the Pirates needed to deal from strength to improve an absolutely atrocious lineup.
Astros wanting Burrows should tell you something, Burrows is good, Injuries have set him back. call back in a year.
The Rays will still somehow win this deal when we look back at the trade seven years from now, it’s just how they operate time and time again
Myth. There are plenty of crappy trades the Rays have made. The Snell trade was awful for one. People acting like the Rays are perfect are so funny.
They make so many trades to the point where enough of them work out really well which helps them look way better at it when in reality they’re mostly just as good at it as any other team not named the Rockies and Angels.
Respectfully, what are the Astros doing here. Burrows is a 4th or 5th starter, Brito had a higher upside not to mention they traded away a potential decent bat in Melton.
How many starters better than Burrows in mlb at Brito size
How Can Each Team Win the Trade?
Rays-Prospects Blossom Into Solid Players
Astros-Burrows becomes an ace
Pirates-Lowe becomes a star.
Lowe is very unlikely to become a star.
Mangun becoming a starting caliber player would benefit the Pirates a lot
the Pirates aren’t looking or expecting a star, they want more power and more run capability
Lowe is juuusssttt past his prime. Good player who may have a few more years left in the tank, but even at his peak he wasn’t a big time stud racking up All-Star appearances and tons of MVP votes. He’s instantly the best hitter in Pittsburgh today, though.
Yeah, he’ll probably hit cleanup for them. Their lineup still stinks, but if Konnor Griffin forces his way to the big leagues this year and they can find one more decent bat (Murikami?) they could surprise. That pitching staff will keep them in most games.
Pirates may have just climbed out of fifth place in the central
Per BTV
Pirates -$10.5
Astros -$12.4
Rays +$22.9
Lowe’s power numbers are in for a rude awakening when he gets to Pittsburgh. That AAA field he had at home this year was a launching pad.
He was hitting bombs before that AAA stadium…
Right field at PNC Park does well for left handed hitters
Nm
Pirates with a rare win?? Obviously the years of control aren’t ideal but if Lowe looks good can likely keep him around for another 1-2 years as a DH?? Mangum is better than most OF they had last season and I remember hearing about Montgomery being nasty. I was a big fan of Burrows but he’s probably on the lower end of pitchers on the roster. Lowe brings much needed power into the lineup.
Rays are low key more stingy than the Pirates.
Yeah this is a big win. Very excited for this trade. Combined with the Password who is now a legit great 4th outfielder to start with and then maybe a day to day starter once he gets comfortable, our outfield is pretty well set with Mangum, Cruz, and Reynolds and the Password as 4th.
Pysched.
Or we can get another OF like O’Hearn which would allow Reynolds to DH mostly and not play Mangum every day. Lowe can also DH. That would basically be an ideal offseason for me. They also upgraded the pen. I think you have to keep Keller at this point unless you can really bring in a good bat either by trade or freeing up cash for someone else??
O’Hearn is a 1B.
O’Hearn is a DH.
I would like to see Gonzalez either traded or released. He’s a defensive liability and too much of a free swinger
If Griffin makes the opening day roster, and there’s no more trades, Yorke should play second, Triolo third base and Lowe the full time DH
But I am curious as to which two current players gets removed from the 40 man roster
Triolo deserves a spot unless he falls flat on his face. Let Gonzales and York battle it out until Griffin gets here. I’m not ready to give up on Gonzo before the season starts. And the odds of Griffin getting the job out of spring training seem slim to me unless he signs an extension.
Keller was in little to no jeopardy of going anywhere. Teams refused to pay price at deadline and now he is less valuable. More likely to sign a old veteran no one else wants than trade Keller. But he’s still available if someone is desperate enough to pay pirates high price.
Paul- That will not be a problem.
They have six guys that they can waive.
He can still play OF if needed.
Triolo has had stretches where he has actually hit very well and it will be interesting to see if he can hit better than he has on average if he gets steady playing time.
The Pirates need one more good hitter.
I think that they can contend for the playoffs if they get one and the young players like Triolo can start hitting better now that they are used to the ML environment.
The pitchers also need to get better with more experience and be lucky.
The addition of more hitters through the free agent route can maximize the potential for this young team.
I beg to differ. Obviously, Burrows is the biggest name in the trade. Bucs receive 3 players for him.
Lowe is a considerably bigger name, but yeah, Burrows is the most valuable asset.
Disagree Lowe is and Burrows is nice but has one good pitch and that usually becomes a problem for a Starter! I’m just glad it was Burrows and not Keller! Glad the league disrespects Keller.
His changeup is a killer pitch and if he can learn how to better locate his curve, he can become a very good pitcher
1 elite pitch 1 good pitch
I don’t remember the last time there was a 3-team trade that was perfectly cyclical like this. By that I mean, Pirates sent players to Astros, received from Rays. Astros sent players to Rays, received from Pirates. Rays sent players to Pirates, received from Astros. Nobody sent players to or received players from multiple teams.
Finally Pittsburgh! Thank you! Huge
The Rays’ magic means it’s worth it to fire $2 into the sun on a betting app on a Jacob Melton Batting Title. Just in case…….
Lowe is so poor defensively, do they DH him or maybe slide him to 1B?
Good enough for Rays at 2b good enough for Pirates. Horwitz is elite at 1b so hard to move him off. Lowe 2b DH
This is just putting a bandaid over a wound. Lowe is in his final year of his contract. Magnum is a light hitting OF (4th OF on any other team) that is in arb years for 2 more seasons and a LHP bullpen guy with 5 ERA. Pirates need more than this to reach relevance, if that is possible. This spending isn’t going to happen, after this move, it confirms that much.
stop whining, if they didn’t make any trades this offseason you’d be complaining about that
Improvement comes with different methods. This trade doesn’t move the needle and gives the Pirates an injury prone 2B. No need for snide comments and as a fan, I have every right to state my opinion. You can be satisfied with this move, but some of us are not. That Garcia trade maybe the better of these trades.
Paul- I think that at least we can give Cherington and Nutting credit for actually doing something to better the team.
If Password actually has big league potential these will be two good trades for hitters that were necessary to be added so that the Pirates can actually be competitive this year.
Mangum isn’t in arb years
Mixed reviews on this for the Pirates
They added a major league hitter!!! That’s good. The fans should like that. But. It’s just for a year. And they gave up a decent pitcher with some years of control left. Mangum doesn’t look like much. He’s already 29. And they get a reliever.
Astros add that decent pitcher and give up two prospects.
Rays get those two prospects. They aren’t top prospects, but nor are they nothing.
Initially I thought Burrows was going to the Rays. Not sure how I feel about it from their end, they seemed to get a bit of a raw deal here.
They didn’t give up much
BTV has them coming out way ahead
Hole camels knows more than btv
Citation requested
Lowe 8m surplus
Mangum great defender base stealer
Reliever will be setup closer with control improvement
Guess the Rays are sitting 2026 out.
Just wait and watch.
like we do every year since their inception? okayyy. i like this trade for the Rays but this does not signal that its going to be a good 2026. It signals theyre moving their window back closer to whenever the new stadium is built
Definitely an upgrade for Pirates lineup. I like it. If Garcia and Griffin make the opening day lineup (which I doubt) they may score some runs. Not quite a playoff team yet though. Still need a solid bat at third. Suarez or Murakami would round out the offense nicely. Get one of them this team may crack .500 this year. 🤞
Rays have just revamped their entire minor leagues with these two trades. Have to give it to the Rays, they are not sentimental with their players and continue to trade and develop quality players.
Love the trade for the Pirates but we need 2 more bats in this lineup! 3B Suarez or one of the posted Japanese players? Then DH Ozuna or O’Hearn?
Or Triolo Gonzales Yorke 3b cutch dh
No thanks! None of them are anything but lateral moves. Also it’s time to move on from Cutch as a player.
Cutch was a real addition but his performance will be going nowhere but downhill as it has for three years.
Great move for the Pirates if they can get Lowe to commit past 1 season. Otherwise this is a bust.
Only if he sucks, and then the Pirates don’t offer. This is a one year deal only.
Pirates can’t afford to miss giving up 5 years of burrows for just 1 bad year or 1 good year for lowe and a 4th OF and reliever.
Sure they can
Not sure that they had a lot of reasonable opportunities to add some power otherwise.
Huge off-field risk in the Pirates adding Mangum.
After all, when not playing baseball, he’s a P. I.
For once, the PIT front office made a good deal. Lowe gives them some power and strengthens their lineup in exchange for their 5th-6th pitcher. Lowe is a rental, but they can always trade him and probably get something decent. Lowe still makes good contact and hopefully he can provide some better run support for what should still be a pretty decent group of starters.
Lowe probably gonna be the hottest commodity at the trade deadline, if the Pirates are out of the playoff picture, and I could see them easily getting a desperate team to overpay for him.
Dipoto all over this
Wow Rays are just giving away talent. It will be easy not to watch next year.
What’s not to like in a multi-team trade? And then, 4 years later, when we see “Player X, who was considered a throw-in in the….has blossomed into…”
Yes, three way trade a few years back with the Braves, A’s and Brewers netted the Crew the “throw-in” of William Contreras, one of the best catchers in the game.
Going to make a mental note of this trade for when Brito emerges with the Rays.
@halosheavenJJ. Small pitcher that throws gas. I’m sure it piqued the rays interest.
A for Pirates. Free agent market has been expensive. Polanco was good fit but insane price. Ideally you want defense but a team desperate for power has to do desperate things. Burrows one of their weakest pitchers for a bargain contract 2b with power with management desperate to keep their jobs. Glove speed outfielder with many years. A leverage reliever if you can improve control. Trading one piece you could afford to trade filled a lot of holes.
A for Astros. A back end starter who could end up mid for a outfield prospect you can afford to trade with K and HR concerns and a runt pitcher with some control issues.
C for Tampa. Got would they could. If anyone can get the most out of these prospects they are a good bet. If not all in contending you have to trade Lowe. Two flawed players isn’t getting anything better than C.
New grade.
C for Pirates.
Just feel like Burrows is going to be a 4 or even a 3. 6 years. That hurts to give up. See how he holds up physically.
Astros got the worst of these deals
Pirates making moves to move up to 4th in the division.
I don’t know all these names but seems like a good move for Pittsburgh
Great deal for the Pirates.
Give up a quality cheap controllable pitcher with a swingman floor but a 2/3 ceiling.
Get a recent all-star that is likely a huge offensive boost, though just a year deal but at a very team friendly rate.
Get a likely instant offense boost in the way of Mangum even if it is lackluster with a good deal of control.
Get a recent top 100(ish) pitching that has had some rocky mlb performance
Now make another quality offensive signing… doesn’t have to be good just has to not be horrible. OR find someone to get davis hit.
The only thing I disagree with is the last part, I think they’re still two quality bats away from respectable, just one more “doesn’t have to be good just has to not be horrible” leads to Triolo, Bart, Gonzales, Suwinski types all getting everyday at bats still.
I don’t totally disagree with you. but one thing.. Jacks performance is no where near Jared, Joey or Nicks… Jack has been a total dumpster fire the past couple years. Bringing back Jordy Mercer would probably be better than putting Jack on the field (/s)
Jack showed good hitting talent with power for not one but two years.
Then something changed.
They just have to undo what changed.
@Mendoza I heard Michael McKenry say on a podcast recently that Jack has had so many people tell him so many conflicting things about hitting that he’s essentially a dead man walking, and all the bombarding of information has essentially confused the hell out of him, to the point where he can’t remember what worked. I’m not sure how or if that can be repaired, but I want him to do well so badly. By all accounts a good dude..
power isn’t the question, its the rest of the package. I wouldn’t be surprised if coaching screwed his game but i doubt he was ‘all that’ to begin with. but his ’25 results in AAA are video game type stats, so maybe…..
I don’t think that he has the personality to basically tell anyone to stuff it.
He was no Babe Ruth but he hit pretty well for two years for a youngster and if left alone with minor tweaks as necessary would be a good ML hitter now.
Searage was good with veteran pitchers but bad with young pitchers because he tried to teach them one way of doing things.
That may have happened to Suwinski also.
But one thing that Searage was good at was using previous photo footage to see how the pitchers pitched when they had been successful.
I would think that Jack could at least try to do that on his own in the same manner that Hayes used a minor league hitting coach and Henry went to a private teaching contractor to learn how to catch better.
I still think that Cherington was behind this whole hitting development fiasco.
There have just been too many.
@Mendoza. You’re most likely right. It’s become all launch angle and exit velocity. With that the K rate goes through the roof. Which is great for the Yankees, but the Pirates are not the Yankees. For this group it’s imperative to hit the other way, hit-and-run, take the extra base, etc. That kind of philosophy gets stressed from above.
Gooch…Just what I’ve been saying. Someone got inside suwinskys head and totally screwed him up. After his 26 home run breakout year,they tried to alter his swing. Leave the kid alone. Most times the clowns do more harm than good
Andy Haines tried to make Jack more of a contact hitter and it messed up his power stroke
Very difficult to do at this level. How many guys already in the bigs have been successfully turned around?
Out of the guys you’ve listed, only Nick has shown some consistency. And Bart sure looked like the guy he was in San Francisco last year
I’d say this got Suwinski out of the lineup. Even if Garcia and Griffin start in AAA. Griffin hopefully gets Gonzalez out. Bart is on short leash with Flores about ready (not saying he will be better). They do need to make one more move and add to 3B to make Triolo a utility guy.
I think that they should give Triolo a chance to be a starter.
He can always go back to being a UT.He would be every bit as good as Hayes in hitting if not better and be almost as good with the glove.
I do not think that Suarez will be worth the money as he is too up and down from year to year.
Minor league players are energized and given hope if they see players in the system being advanced and eventually given a chance to start.
They need to add at least one really good DH who can hit both RHs and LHs or two good hitting DH’s who can hit the opposite hand pitchers very well.
Damn , feel like Seattle should have beat that offer for Lowe.
Step 1 for Buccos !
Step 2 sign Okamoto or Suarez for 3B
Step 3 sign O’Hearn he can play Of or DH
Unless they want to take a chance on Robert. They need 2 more bats after getting Lowe
I’d be happy with just step 2. Complete steps 2 and 3 I might go to a game this year. I’d stay away from Robert though and assume they intend to since they’ve already added two OF’s.
Ding dong the witch is dead- Jacob’s last words as he vanishes fron Houston: “I’m Melton!!!”
Not bad Theo but I would keep my day job if I were you.
What if this is my day job
Then I would say that you are good but not great and have left something “on the table”!
That’s funny
Finally cherrington did something to improve the hitting. Now maybe get a good hitting 3rd baseman.
This trade looks good. Pirates only giving up burrows. Even though lowe can be a free agent, he’s 31, I feel they can resign him
Don’t like Burrows leaving, but I’m liking Lowe coming on-board. Lowe will be playing for a contract, so good things should come about.
Nice get Astros.
Astros get their pocket picked again trying to go cheap. Supposedly looking for pitching and a left handed bat and move both from a weak minor league roster.
The dynasty is dead, thank god.
Pirates finally get a couple of bats! They aren’t ever going to convince worthy free agents to sign up so they’ve got to make aggressive trades like this. Hoping they swing another big trade or two, the long suffering fans deserve to watch a team that actually tries.
Mangum is not a bat. He’s a glove first OF with some scratch-single skills. He might not make the Pirates MLB team.
Mangum is a gamer and gritty, he wont hit many home runs but his bat to ball skills, base running and all around game is really good. He stuck out to me when I watched him play and i think he will be over a 300 avg bat.
He’s leadoff hitter material. Makes tons of contact and has good speed. His plate discipline could improve but even if it doesn’t he’s going to slash and dash really well for a bit.
I’m so confused 🤯 who went where and who wanted what player wasn’t there an easier way to make this deal happen 🤷🏻♂️
What good does an offensive improvement for just one year do for the Pirates? They still won’t make the playoffs next year.
Their window with Skenes is closing and they will worry about 2027 in 2026.
The trade and free agent seasons have not nearly ended this year.
Seasons are played one year at a time. For one year (2026) I’d say the Pirates and Astros basically broke even. Both addressed a need. For the long-term, the Rays may come out ahead, but that is a speculative gamble on two highly rated but questionable prospects. And. they’re not going anywhere in 2026. So, good deal all the way around!
Skenes is still under team control for 4 more years. They should be much closer to contention during at least the last couple of those years.
Meanwhile, the fact that the Pirates aren’t going anywhere in 2026 is the problem, as it means it’s pointless to address a need that is just going to walk in free agency next year. It doesn’t matter to the Pirates whether they win, say, 70 or 75 games next year. As such, a pitcher with 5 years of control remaining is much more valuable to them for their contention timeline despite already having a decent starting rotation even without him. It’s the same reason why rebuilding teams often trade away players just one season away from free agency. If necessary, the Pirates could’ve signed a relatively cheap 2B in free agency to cover the position next year.
If they were going to move such a guy, then they needed to get a hitter in return who is also under control for multiple seasons.
I don’t get this at all. Lowe is a one-year rental, with a long injury history, and some split problems. Burrows is likely a starting pitcher for the next 6 years. I know they got a couple of smaller pieces, bit imho, there is almost no chance Lowe provides even half the WAR that Burrow supplies.
I think they should’ve traded a better pitcher for a better and controlled hitter, and used Burrows as their #5.
Yup
Sometimes it’s those “smaller pieces” that end up making a huge difference. I know it’s been eons ago but when the Indians traded C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers the “big named” prospect coming back was Matt Laporta and the (smaller/secondary) was Michael Brantley. Matt was a total bust while Brantley turned into an all star.
Joe-They have been trying to trade Keller but have gotten nowhere.
They are not going to trade Skenes nor Bubba.
Ashcraft has more upside than Burrowes,and Barco has a chance to be a very fine starter.
They needed a second baseman with power and Lowe fit the bill.
They got two other useable ML players.
Burrowes has had serious injuries up until this year.
This is Cherington’s last chance.
You saw the price for Polanco.
Sometimes the outside dictates what you can do.
Sometimes the inside dictates how long you have to do it.
The problem is that they didn’t actually need a 2B with power who is only a year away from free agency, as they’re not going to make the playoffs next year either way.
They didn’t necessarily need to trade a better pitcher or get a better hitter in return, but they did need a hitter who is under control for multiple seasons instead of just for one year.
it could be that Cherington tried to do what you’re suggesting but no other team would bite
We don’t know what goes on behind closed doors
the Lowe one I get. he’s been frustratingly inconsistent forever and can’t hit lefties nor stay healthy.
In what world is Baz’s 2.8 million expensive that we had to trade him to an in division rival and for pieces that are nowhere near the major league level? That’s what I just don’t get about our moves today.
To me the Rays have said that they cannot compete this year for a championship so they have traded the older players for young players.
That is the way of many small market teams.
The Rays have been trending downward for a couple of years.
Three 1st rounders
I think that this is a helluva deal for Pittsburgh. I’m looking forward to watching this much improved team in 2026.
I want to like this trade for the Pirates but only getting one year of Lowe doesn’t do much for me. Pirates aren’t going to be on it next year barring a miracle. They should have targeted a player with multi years of control.
For the rays it’s fine as they are always looking for controlled players and Lowe isn’t going to make the competitive in that division next year.
This is a win now move for the Astros which this should help.
Who would you want them to target? And who would you give up?
Can’t trade skenes, chandler,Ashcroft and any other younger pitcher. They traded burrows and oviedo and got a young Outfielder and a all star 2nd baseman. I think if lowe has a good year and they contend. They will sign lowe to a 2 year extension.
I like the young outfielder trade that fits. Just trading for a rental isn’t a great idea when you’re not likely to be in it that year.
I’d prefer they targeted a guy with some control while they are trading to build up the offense. Perhaps they will make enough offseason moves to do so. They gave up a decent pitcher with 3 years of control. Lowe has a 1.5 war last year.
Certainly could trade Ashcroft or Chandler. Would have returned enough to make that offense tick, that’s for sure.
C’mon people. It’s Ashcraft. Braxton ASHCRAFT.
And suppose you tell me what would they get in return for chandler?
It would be dumb to trade chandler. Eith skenes they would be one of the best 1 2 punches in all of baseball
trading Ashcraft or Chandler would be a disaster for this pitching staff
Never can tell. They may stun everyone and sign Lowe to an extension
But you’re right, he alone isn’t enough. You have gaping holes at catcher, SS, 3rd and given last season, the entire outfield and DH from a hitting standpoint.
Lowe is a nice upgrade. Horwitz is ok
But what to make of Reynolds? Just a bad year or is he in decline?
Cruz has so many problems and they come from the neck up. How do you count on him?
And that’s just for starts
They really need another big bat. But who, and how?
In july, if Pirates are in playoff hunt, then B Lowe has done well perhaps, if not you spin him at trade deadline for a decent prospect or 2, that is a win.
Even if it plays out, no trade at deadline, and miss playoffs, you use the money you used on B Lowe for another yearly rental, another win.
Depends on many factors, no?
Is there anyone on the farm who is panning out?
If no, and if Lowe is one of their only offensive guys, I’m just not sure playing the rental game makes sense. Look where it has gotten them.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Cruz is gonna do what he did here last season. He is what he is. He’ll continue to impress the broadcast teams with exit velocities and few others. I’m gonna say Reynolds is the guy we saw last season.
In other words, it’s going to occur to Cherington that Lowe wasn’t enough
Maybe they piut Mangum in CF and make Cruz the DH against RH pitchers if they cannot get a power hitting LH hitting DH.
And maybe Cherington is smarter than us and got Mangum to provide competition for Cruz.Cherington has had to toe the company line but maybe has now told everyone the truth about Cruz.
The Royals have always liked Reynolds so ask them what they will give up for him.
There could be many reasons why Reynolds had a bad year,and many that have nothing to do with baseball.He has been pretty consistent otherwise.
And,no,Lowe is not enough if they actually want to compete for the division.
One more move and this looks like a .500 team.
1. Cruz CF
2. Reynolds DH
3. Lowe 2B
4. Murakami / Suarez / Okamoto 3B
5. Griffen SS
6. Horowitz 1B
7. Garcia RF
8. Bart C
9. Mangum LF
Mangum is more of a contact hitter than Cruz and should bat lead off
Cruz stunk last year batting lead off
No, it doesn’t, not when over half the lineup still sucks even after another move to improve it.
I like yours except for 3b. All three of those scare me lol. Here’s mine:
1, Griffin SS
2. Horowitz 1B
3. Reynolds RF
4. Lowe 2B
5. Cruz CF
6. Garcia LF
7. Royce Lewis 3b (betting on a rebound and can probably be moved in a buy-low trade)
8. McCutchen DH (sentimental value lol)
9. Davis C
As a Pirates fan I am used to finding comraderie among other fans when the team stinks. We do misery well together. But when something swings our way we look for all the ways to continue to be miserable. This is why we have a hard time being ecstatic to have the best pitcher in baseball but instead need to temper all joy with his likely short window with out team. I bet if we signed him to an extension, we would then say in our Eeyore voices that hell probably blow out his arm in a year or two.
This is a good trade but we seem to be having a hard time celebrating it as a fan base. It can not be perfect but it can still be the kind of shot in the arm we need to be competitive.
I fear that even if we won the world series in six this year against the Yankees, we would complain that we didn’t win it in five. It’s hard being a Pirates fan at times because of other Pirates fans. The front office is a huge cause of this, I know. But still, can we fight back against their incompetence by not letting them also steal any joy we can take in the team when things do go our way?
Sandlot-It seems that you have become or have been a philosopher.
Or are you talking just about yourself?
It is easy to be negative as a Pirates fan.We all know that.Some are more negative than others.All long term Pirate fans deserve to complain if they desire to because of the ineptness over all but four of the last 33 years.
But if you have read any of the posts here you will realize that almost to a poster it is felt that this was a good trade.
It gives fans hope.
It also gives fans hope that there may be at least one more good ML hitter added to the club.
Why?Because it seems that ownership and management is trying to provide a good club.
More is needed.
But it is a start.
At this point that is all that we can ask for.
A couple years ago my son was in town while the Pirates were playing the D-backs in Phoenix, so we drove down from the mountain to catch a game. On the drive (it’s 145 miles each way), my son asked me what I missed about the Pittsburgh area where I grew up. After listing a bunch of things, I said, “One thing I don’t miss is how much people complain there, how negative they can be.” We get to our seats (first base side behind Pirates dugout, nice seats). There are Pirates fans on both sides of us. As I sit down, I say to the Pirate fan next to me, “Great to be sitting with other Pirates fans.” The first words out of his mouth were “Nutting is such a cheap b———.” He proceeded to whine for several minutes. I tried to ignore him after that. He never said a positive thing the whole game, even after the Pirates won.
I do think that consistent losing and going from the team with the third best all time NL record to a 500 club plays on the mind.
I do not doubt that there is a negativity among Pirate fans.
It could be from more than just baseball.
But winning in sports always trumps the opposite.
And there is no statistic to truly explain an attitude.
I’m a little taken aback by the glass-half-full crowd today but so be it. There’s a mute button here and perhaps the solution is to use it for people who only want rainbows and unicorns.
That said, complaining is part of any team’s fandom. Check out Yankees threads here. Or Dodgers, when they go into a cold streak. It was there at the barber shop or bowling alley when I was a kid and it’s a part of message boards now.
I can safely say I’ve never booed a player at a ballgame. And I’ve never given my complaints publicly at a game to ruin another fan’s good time. I prefer to keep my thoughts to myself in such situations
But fora like this are for opinions. I don’t agree with everyone but I respect that most are fans of the game and 99% want to see the Pirates win
I liked this trade. It’s a start but it’s not enough. I’m not sure it by itself is going to push them past 72-74 wins
But as Mendoza said, at least it demonstrates an acknowledgement that this franchise must do something.
Glass half full is the positive, optimistic crowd.
Right because they’ve given us so many reasons to be positive.
Now swing a trade for Duran and the Bucs could be cooking. OF: Duran, Cruz, Reynolds
IF: Griffin, Lowe, Horwitz, Triolo/Gonzalez/Yorke
C: Davis/Bart
You would clearly need some bounce back years from Reynolds and Cruz AND you need one of the youngsters to step up at 3B but with their strong starting pitching it’s not hard to imagine this lineup putting up enough runs to make this team interesting. Things become really interesting if they take that money they were going to throw at Schwarber and allocate it to one of the other the big names out there like Murakami.
So I guess you’re proposing Keller for Duran. I don’t think the BoSox go for it. But I agree with you
Mangum is going to be a good pick up. He will be in on the batting title and swipe a bunch of bags. You herd it here!
Mangum is trash (baseball-wise, I’m sure he’s a fine person). 30 year old rookie with no power or plate discipline has a lucky season with bloops and bleeders. Happens a lot.
Gotta love those half measures that come cheap and say we’re trying, after failing to money whip (I doubt that was serious) actual impact players. Lowe is just a guy that will be ok, fade into their 70 win plan. And hopefully get out of there when he can.
And just like that, Lowe’s career is over. Have fun striking out in irrelevant Shittsburg.
Bet the Pirates are better than the Rays next year.
Because the pitching is a lot harder in the NL Central than the AL East.
Cute. And you came here to say this and urinate all over your shoes for all to see. Why not stick to things you know, like beer, McDonalds and cam girls before embarrassing yourself further?
you’re worthy of being muted piney
You forgot the h.
Piney and knolln are just simple trolls,with nothing of any substance to post whatsoever.
Clearly,neither is intelligent enough to realize that that is all that they are.
But jeez, can they stay positive about the Pirates?
Well the offense improved a bit… what do you have planned Cherington???
Jacob Melton was strong get for dumping Lowe. And brings to the table what Mangum couldn’t to replace Lowe. The reliever swap could be an interesting wild card. The more I look into this deal, I really like what the Rays have received.
In 1953, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Cincinatti, and Philadelphia completed a 4-way trade with some major players including Adcock, Russ Meyer ,and Earl Torgeson.
Great move for the Pirates!
I don’t get it from the rays perspective. They trade an established 2b and semi prospects for just 2 prospects.