TRADE REACTION: Pirates get Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum from Rays, send Mike Burrows to Astros?

TRADE REACTION: Pirates get Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum from Rays, send Mike Burrows to Astros?

What’s up everyone and welcome back to another edition of the PG Pirate Show presented by FanDuel. My name is Colin Beasley here with Noah Hiles and we are here with some actual Pirates news to talk about today. This isn’t this isn’t a regular offseason show where we suggest, oh, this is maybe what’s working or what’s happening or whatever. We have actual tangible news today. Earlier today, the Pirates made a three-team trade with the Rays and Houston Astros. They acquired second baseman Brandon Laauo from the Rays, as well as um Let me make sure I >> Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery. >> Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery. I didn’t remember Mangum’s first name. >> Yeah. >> So, I wanted to make sure I got that right. >> Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery. And they only gave up Mike Burroughs to the Astros to do it. >> Big deal. a name that they’ve been linked to a lot with Brandon Laauo. Noah, what were your immediate thoughts on this? And thank you for joining as always. >> You’re welcome, Col. And I appreciate you telling uh Ben Cherington to wait to make this move until Friday, uh the day that you and I record these videos. So, you know, this is fun. Um but in all seriousness, my my immediate takeaways, I have a few. One, I might have considered this deal even if Brandon Laauo wasn’t a part of it. I I think it completes your left field platoon with uh with Garcia. Um, these two guys complement each other’s game a lot. They both have tons of control and I think could eventually both end up being everyday players in your outfield if the right things go uh their way in this upcoming season. I like Montgomery’s potential as a lefty out of the bullpen. The two pitch guy, fast ball slider. Obviously, that fast ball is live 100 miles an hour. Um, and the Pirates tend to do well with these types of projects. So, I would have considered just that alone for Burrows, a guy who isn’t going to even have a guarantee to be in their opening day rotation next year as currently assembled. Um, but what obviously makes this deal great is the addition of Lao, who only has one year of club control, but hit 31 home runs last year. He was playing in a pretty hitter friendly park. I think he’s more realistically a 20 to 25 home run guy, but the Pirates were missing that. This is a guy who’s had playoff experience, someone who can hit in the middle third of your lineup, the top third of your lineup, and be an anchor, give some protection to guys like O’Neal Cruz and Brian Reynolds, and be a veteran double play partner for whenever Connor Griffin’s ready. So, I I think there’s a lot to add here. It’s probably the biggest win now move they’ve made uh in Cherington’s tenure acquiring a player of this caliber, giving up a pitcher of Burroughs’s caliber who I know I just said he would be competing to make the opening day rotation but had a strong rookie showing has all these years of control and has a potential to be you know an impact in that rotation well after skins is gone. So, it’s a gamble, of course, because you don’t know how these got young youngsters are going to unh play out and you only get LA for one year. Uh, but this is exactly the type of new move they needed to make and they got it done. >> Yeah, I I completely agree. I I will say I’m maybe a little bit higher on Mike Burroughs than you are. That’s not to say I think this isn’t a good move. >> I think it’s a very good move. Um, >> little bit higher on Mike Burroughs just considering how how strong he was as a rookie. I mean, 394 RA 19 starts. Yeah, just 96 innings. But he was he was really solid for the Pirates. He’s someone that given that team control, I could I could see him pitching in the Astros rotation up through what what I think he’s he’s arbitration eligible in 2029. So, >> yeah, >> he could be a legitimate piece of that Astros rotation up until 2031, 2032. >> But also, this is a move that the Pirates need to make. This is a move where they are very clearly prioritizing 2026. They’ve talked about that a lot. They’ve said they intend on competing in 2026. This move shows it. You’re trading away a guy that will be valuable to you in the future, a guy that has that much control in Burroughs for someone where the best part of the deal in Lao is probably here for one year. Maybe you extend him, but probably one year. I’m I’m impressed that they actually went out and did it. This isn’t just talk. This is an actual move and I I really like it. >> Yeah. And I think going back to your point on Burroughs, I look at it, I mean, there were what, five rookie pitchers who debuted for them last year. Chandler, Burroughs, Ashcraft, Barco, and Harrington. I’d put Burrows fourth as far if we’re ranking ceilings of potential. I mean, Chandler has the highest. I think Ashcraft was the best of the bunch last season. Barco has a higher ceiling than Burroughs, I think. although both of them have their arm history issues. Um, and the fact that Bar Barco is the only left lefty in pretty much this entire organization that’s big league ready uh right now gives him some additional points. Um, yeah, I I think Harrington and Burroughs would have been the two I would have been most willing to part way out of that group. And the fact that you could get this for Mike Burroughs is a tremendous opportunity. I mean, obviously, yeah, we’ll see how this unfolds like it like every other trade. You know, Burrows could end up being great and and all three of these guys could stink and it could just be another bad luck Pirates trade, but as of the time of this recording, it it looks like the Pirates got a really big haul. Again, for someone who might have been on the outside looking in for this year’s starting rotation, um Bees, I I’ll I’ll keep the conversation moving here now. Um, when you look at what this team has as far as what it’s added with Garcia and Mangum in the outfield with Lao at second base, it’s added now two left-handers to its bullpen with uh with Montgomery and then Sodto who you spoke with earlier today. Um, what else is there to do now before before opening day? What other moves should should this team be looking to make? And what moves did they maybe have anticipated to make are no longer moves that they should make? >> There’s there’s a there’s a lot in there. That’s that’s a good question. Um, >> I’m paid to ask those good questions because you do. >> Um, >> I mean, this is I wrote in my analysis piece on this article on this trade that this is a move that it doesn’t vault the Pirates into World Series contention or anything, but it is a step towards >> being a being towards contention. It shows that you’re serious, but there is there is still more to do. As you mentioned, I think it depends on what you do with Brandon Laauo and how how cute you get with it. There are a couple different things that you can do there. One of the things that I found interesting is looking at his stats is that he wasn’t a particularly good defender at second base in 2025. >> Some of that might have been he he dealt with an ankle injury and an oblique injuries. Maybe health had something to do with that, but I’m interested to see whether the Pirates view him as their everyday second baseman or whether they are planning on dhing him a little bit. I he’ll he’ll be in the lineup every day. I’m confident in confident in that. But if he’s at second base, then maybe Nick Gonzalez is your shortstop and Triolo is your third baseman until Connor Griffin’s here. Maybe if he’s at second, if he isn’t, if he’s your designated hitter, maybe you have Gonzalez stay at second and you need to add a third baseman. I still think that you need a major bat. I think that Gino Suarez should be the guy that they still go after. They should still have money for him. Uh maybe even a guy like Okamoto is some someone that ends up in the mix as well. I think you still need a big bat, ideally a right-hander considering you now have a couple of impact lefties, but um this still is a solid step. >> Yeah, I I think they need to add two bats. Uh you look at third base, that’s the most obvious spot. And you have a a whole bunch of different options to do that. You you mentioned Gino Suarez. He’s probably the top target or should be on their list at third base, but I mean you have the two Japanese guys, Okamoto and Marakami. Both of those guys slot in at third as well. And I think that’s your opportunity to get something a little bit more longterm. Whereas Suarez is already in his 30s and if you’re looking for something four, five years in the deal range as opposed to two, three, you could go there and it would probably be a little bit more affordable than what you’d pay Suarez. I also think they have trade capital to still use bees. I I I don’t think Mitch Keller is on the table anymore or at least I don’t think he should be. But you look at some of the prospects they still have available to trade. They really haven’t traded any of their farm this off seasonason. They’ve traded Johan Ovo who threw what less than 50 innings and Mike Burroughs who threw less than 100 100 innings last year. And you figure between Harrington and Barco, they can replicate Odo’s production and Chandler alone should replicate what Burroughs did. So their rotation’s still the same. You can move some of those younger guys in double A. Maybe like an Antoine Kelly or or someone along that uh line of prospect status. Tamar Johnson is another guy that I think could be worth moving. um guys who were in Altuna or or just made it to Indie, you could package them together and get yourself a third baseman, too. Someone I look at like Alec Bomb who’s been in trade uh rumors. He’s a little bit more affordable than probably any of those free agents they named. And he’s a multi-year acquisition as well. Um someone who would lengthen your lineup. And then as far as the outfield or the DH, that second bat, you got to figure out like you said, Colin, um, what you’re doing with Lao and I also think what you’re doing with Brian Reynolds. If you want Brian Reynolds to be your everyday DH, I think that’s fine. He’s a switch hitter so you can get a good platoon matchup on either side. Um, but you need to f you need to find a quality defender. Like if you if you’re really getting rid of Reynolds, you need to have a league average bat and, you know, not a liability out there in right field. I think long term maybe Mangum and Garcia can both end up being everyday outfielders, but I don’t think that that’s a fair thing to thrust upon either one of them in 2026. Or you could go traditional DH. They’ve obviously been linked to Ryan O’Harn. They’ve obviously been linked to Marcel Ozuna. O’Harn would be the multi-year long-term option. Ozuna would be a a plug-andplay. You could also bring back Andrew McCutchen if you wanted, although I would argue the the former two names that I just listed would probably give you a better chance to contend if they were your everyday designated hitters. The grand point that I’m trying to make here though is that yes, they need two bats and there are a lot of options that play into where those bats would fit into this lineup. Um, all things considered, we’re recording this December 19th. The Pirates are a better team than what they were at the end of this regular season and I think that they will move forward just one or two moves away from being a team that actually has a decent chance to compete for the postseason. >> Yeah, I I completely agree with all you said there. I going back to what you said about the moves that they might not make. I agree that this should this likely takes a Mitch Keller deal off the table. I I think that they probably haven’t gotten exactly what they were hoping for in the trade market. I think that they’ve >> discussed them and I think that if there had been something where they were confident in the return, they would have done it by now. I think that this move kind of shows that there’s there wasn’t something there. But I also think that Mitch Keller is more valuable now considering the death has been brought into. I think that they’ll probably go after a free agent pitcher. I think that it’s worthwhile to get a number five starter, get a lefty like a Jose Kintana or or who whatever. >> I would say I look at a guy like Nester Cortez, someone who would be a little bit of a reclamation project, someone I I would go find your Andrew Heeney, right? That that’s that’s been their their MO every offseason. They signed if it’s Martine Perez, Andrew Heeney, Tyler Anderson, um José Canana, they they’ve signed they’ve had pretty good success getting these veteran lefties to come in here and pitch uh at PNC Park. I mean, Heene was probably the worst out of all of them. Um but even he had a solid first half. And I I really think that’s all you need. I’m going shopping for a left-handed starter to be my number four or number five for the first half of the season. I’m telling him, I need you to cover 80 innings for me until Hunter Barco is ready to go for the majors. And then when we get to that point, depending on your performance, you can either stick around in the rotation or get moved to the bullpen. And a guy like Cortez, I think, makes sense because he has experience in both realms. Although, you know, he has allowed one famous home run and relief out of the bullpen. But overall, I think he would be a good option. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, if we we both agree that there is more to do like that that is clear that this is a good move. They’re closer to contending. They’re closer to being a good team in 2026, but there is more to do. If you >> if you had one move and you’re like, “This is this is what what’s next.” What would you pick? Who would be your next big swing? >> I I I I’ll give it a tie. I would either I would trade for Ryan O’Harn or not trade her. I would sign Ryan O’Harn. Um or I would trade for Alec Bomb. Those would be my two. I just think I don’t get a sense that Suarez is really interested in coming to Pittsburgh. Maybe this move will change that. Um the Japanese guys I I think have a very high reward, but also a high also a high level of risk. Um I think that your your big move now if you’re the Pirates, regardless of what it looks like, is signing a multi-year free agent. You’ve checked off a lot of things that fans have wanted to see you do for a while. You you acquired a big league ready top 100 rated prospect in your first trade. You acquired an established power bat that you can slate in the middle of your order and feel confident that he will give you consistent production with Lao. You’ve added some controllable talent uh that you can maybe mold into a platoon guy with Mangum and then a bullpen weapon with Montgomery. Now, it’s time to make a long-term commitment through free agency. Something that has not happened since, you know, Bees was essentially in diapers. I was in college. Uh, it’s been it’s been a long time. I don’t think you were in diapers in 2016, I’m just kidding. But, um, but yeah, I think the next move is signing a multi-year free agent. I I don’t know what that looks like. It could be Suarez, could be Alhern, could be one of the Japanese guys, could be someone else. I think there are also trades to be made, but I think if you really want to get the Pirates fans happy, you’ve taken two good steps forward so far. Go and sign that franchise record free agent deal. Make it multi-year. Make it a name people are aware of and get people invested in this ball club. You’re not far away from doing so. Push the ball over the finish line. >> Yeah, I I again I agree with what you’re saying. I one of the things that I’m really interested in seeing is how and I’ll answer my own question for after. But one of the things I’m really interested in seeing is if this sort of trade, this sort of commitment to winning in 2026 has an impact on the free agent market. There have been a couple of guys that I’ve heard out there who the Pirates are interested in, but they’re not as interested in coming to Pittsburgh because there hasn’t been commitment to winning. They haven’t been sure on that. Won’t name names there, but >> that sort of thing. This kind of shows that you’re you’re really trying. There is a commitment to winning in 2026 there. Maybe a guy who wasn’t as interested in coming to Pittsburgh earlier in this off seasonason, maybe they’re willing to go and renegotiate. They’re willing to their ears have perked up a little bit. Maybe I do want to go there. And then to answer my actual my question, the question I asked you, my big move would be Gino Suarez. I’ve said it time and time again on this show. >> I’ve pounded the table for him. I still think there’s still room in the payroll for it. >> Yeah. >> And this is somewhere where having a bat first, third baseman, a guy with legitimate power, a right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup, I really do think it would do a lot of really good things for this lineup. I think that he’s someone that’s a good clubhouse guy that could help improve some of the Pirates young players, could help protect them in the lineup, and I think that he’s someone that you would need to sign to a multi-year free agent deal. It wouldn’t be a major three-year thing. It would probably be two years. I think I think that you could get him for something that isn’t that expensive and I think that he’d be very very valuable here. >> Jorge Palanco money. >> Yeah, honestly maybe even less. Yeah, >> I’m I’m still amazed by Palano getting two years of 40, but >> I agree. >> But hey, we’ll we’ll see. >> Hey, good for him. >> Good for him. Happy happy he can get that. I I don’t know if I would have given him $20 million but per per year. But I don’t know. I’m not David Sterns. I’m not not Steve Cohen. >> You are calling Beasley though. >> I am calling Beasley. Any final words, Noah? >> No, I mean like I I just want to reiterate uh this does not make the Pirates playoff team. It does make them a better team. Uh they’ve made two trades this season and I think they both improve their ball club both next year and moving forward. So there’s there’s reason for fans to be excited excited. Uh they should hope that this is not the biggest move they make this off seasonason. There’s still room for a bigger move to be made and it should be made if they are serious playoff contenders. >> Yeah, absolutely more to be done, but this is a positive step. This is different than years past. This is this is interesting. This is something to talk about. This is a real move made in December. We’ll see what follows. He’s Noah Hiles. I’m Colin Beasley. Thank you guys for watching the PG Pirate Show. We will talk to you next time. Thank you for checking out this content from PostGazette Sports. If you watch this video on YouTube, please like the video and subscribe to our channel. For all of the sports coverage that PostGazette has to offer, visit post-gazette.com.

Post-Gazette Pirates insider Colin Beazley welcomes Noah Hiles to react to the news that the Pirates traded for Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery from the Tampa Bay Rays while sending Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros.

Is this a good deal for Pirates GM Ben Cherington? Will Lowe and Mangum improve the lineup? Where will they slot in in the lineup and on the field? What might manager Don Kelly choose to do with Montgomery? Will the Pirates rotation miss Burrows? And does this signal even more moves ahead for the Pirates as they navigate a crucial offseason? Our duo tackles those topics and more.

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