Perrotto: Brandon Lowe Seen as ‘Litmus Test’ for Pirates

November 11, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

LAS VEGAS – The Pittsburgh Pirates want Brandon Lowe back.

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The Pirates sent that signal when they made a $23.15-million qualifying offer to the second baseman, now a free agent. Lowe has until Nov. 17 to accept the offer and be under contract for next season. Most likely, Lowe will turn down the QO and remain on the open market in search of a lucrative multiyear deal.

Regardless, the Pirates would retain Lowe after acquiring him from the Tampa Bay Rays last December in a three-way trade in which Pittsburgh shipped right-hander Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros. Lowe set himself up for a big payday by hitting 35 home runs, driving in 94 runs, and winning the Roberto Clemente Award as the Pirates’ MVP.

Even if Lowe is a one-and-done with the Pirates, they still gained an advantage by having him in the organization. They won’t have to make a big sales pitch to Lowe now that he is familiar with the Pirates and Pittsburgh. With no division title since 1992, the Pirates are rarely No. 1 on free agents’ preferred destination lists.

“Brandon has some proof of concept,” Pirates GM Ben Cherington said Tuesday at the MLB General Manager Meetings at the Aria Resort & Casino. “You know, he knows what it’s like and has some comfort, and so you don’t have to spend as much time on that part of it,”

But …

“He’s also put himself in a really strong position, and good for him,” Cherington said. “And everybody’s going to find out. He’ll find out before any of us do on exactly what that means, but good for him for doing that.”

I did a quick and unscientific survey of five MLB executives on Tuesday about how much money Lowe will command. The lowest figure was $60 million for three years, and the high end was $85 million over four years.

That is rich territory for the Pirates. The largest contract they have ever given a free agent is $39 million to re-sign left-hander Francisco Liriano for three years following the 2013 season.

The Pirates raised their payroll last winter when they traded for Lowe and signed free agents Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna. However, it doesn’t sound like the payroll will rise much this offseason, as Cherington admitted he isn’t working with as much payroll flexibility.

Yet Cherington remains optimistic that the Pirates can bring Lowe back a year after he helped them finish over .500 for the first time since 2018 with an 82-80 record.

“Obviously, we had a great experience with Brandon,” Cherington said. “I think Brandon and (wife) Madison had a great experience in Pittsburgh, and it would be a great outcome if he were a Pirate next year, and that’s what we’ve communicated.”

The Lowe negotiations haven’t been the top topic on the rumor mill in Las Vegas. Yet people in the baseball industry believe the Pirates are poised for a postseason push next season and are curious if the re-sign Lowe.

“This is a little bit of a litmus test for the Pirates and (owner Bob) Nutting,” the head of baseball operations from another MLB team said under the condition of anonymity. “They don’t sign free agents, but Lowe is someone they really need to keep. I really think they are (going to be) a playoff team next year, but I don’t think they could make up all that offense if they lose him.”

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