The Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly struck a trade which has major implications on the Seattle Mariners.

The deal will send:

1) Right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows from Pittsburgh to Houston.

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2) Astros No. 2 prospect Jacob Melton and No. 7 prospect Anderson Brito to Tampa Bay.

3) The Rays will send infielder Brandon Lowe to Pittsburgh, with the Pirates also receiving outfielder Jake Mangum and pitcher Mason Montgomery.

As a result, the Rays and Pirates are trading big leaguers, while the Astros are sending only prospects.

So how does this impact the Mariners?

Burrows, 26, is under team control through 2031, meaning the Mariners will have to deal with him for the next six years. He made 23 appearances for the Pirates this past season, going 2-4 with a 3.94 ERA. He struck out 97 batters in 96.0 innings. He features a high-velocity fastball and a good changeup, as well as a slider, a curveball and a sinker. His fastball averaged 95.5 mph.

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Part of the reason the Mariners were able to win the American League West in 2025 was because of Houston’s problems staying healthy on the mound. If Burrows is able to stay healthy, he gives them a weapon which will make life harder for the Mariners as they look to repeat as division champs.

He will pair with Hunter Brown to make a solid 1-2 in the Houston rotation.

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After missing out on Jorge Polanco, the Mariners are interested in acquiring a second baseman. And while all the attention has been on Brendan Donovan and Ketel Marte, Lowe was still an option too.

In the final year of his contract, he hit 31 homers for the Rays last season, but his solid power-high strikeout rate was not appealing to me, as we recently discussed.

Regardless, he was an option for the M’s, and that option is off the board. The Mariners may need to throttle down in their pursuit of Donovan and Marte as the market tightens up.

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With just five days left before Christmas Eve, there may be some urgency around the league to get things done. While deals can happen at any team, the league largely shuts down because Christmas and the first of the year.

And once that happens, it’s just six weeks from the start of spring training.

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