Photo provided by Matt Lynch
The Pittsburgh Pirates have swung a trade for a coveted bat, landing infielder Brandon Lowe along with outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery from the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a three-team trade that will send starting pitcher Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros. The deal, which is pending medicals, has been confirmed to Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
Lowe gives the Pirates with exactly the kind of impact hitter they were hoping to land. The 31-year-old was an All-Star for the second time in his career with the Rays in 2025 and finished the season with a .256/.307/.477 batting line (116 OPS+), 31 home runs and 83 RBI in 134 games.
Across eight seasons in the big leagues — all of which have come with Tampa Bay — Lowe carries a .247/.326/.481 batting line with 126 doubles, 12 triples, 157 home runs and 446 RBI in 745 games.
Last season, the Pirates finished last in baseball in runs scored (583), home runs (117) and OPS (.655).
Mangum made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2025 and appeared in 118 games. He hit .296 with a .698 OPS, 18 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 40 RBI and 27 stolen bases. Among players with at least 400 plate appearances, Mangum finished 10th in baseball in batting average.
The 29-year-old spent time in all three outfield positions, didn’t commit an error and combined for three defensive runs saved and six assists.
Montgomery made nine appearances for the Rays in his first big-league season in 2024 and allowed two runs with 17 strikeouts in 9.2 innings. This past season, he went 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA across 57 appearances. In 46 innings, he allowed 49 hits, walked 27 and struck out 63.
Burrows made his MLB debut at the end of the 2024 season and emerged as a key piece of the Pirates’ starting rotation this past season. In 23 appearances/19 starts in 2025, the 26-year-old went 2-4 with a 3.94 ERA and struck out 97 batters in 96 innings.
As part of the three-team trade, the Rays will receive outfielder Jacob Melton and right-handed pitching prospect Anderson Brito from the Astros, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Mentioned in this article: Brandon Lowe Jake Mangum Mason Montgomery Mike Burrows Pittsburgh Pirates
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