So, we\u2019re talking about keeping a player who already wears the uniform, and the starting point for the conversation is whether this franchise can venture into financial territory it should have explored years ago.<\/p>\n
We present to you: all 35 of Brandon Lowe’s home runs from this season. \ud83d\udca3 pic.twitter.com\/QO8zCc0MPK<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) November 5, 2026<\/a>Brandon Lowe could double the record the Pirates keep hiding behind<\/p>\n An $80 million commitment is nothing to sneeze at. Four years for a 32-year-old second baseman carries real risk, and the Pirates should take a hard look at what they\u2019d be paying for in those later seasons. They\u2019ve already put a one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer on the table,<\/a> so there\u2019s some willingness to spend here. The bigger question is whether they\u2019re ready to make a longer commitment. If they\u2019re serious about keeping Lowe, that\u2019s a conversation they should have.<\/p>\n But Pittsburgh\u2019s spending history hangs over the discussion before we even get that far. A projected $20 million AAV has us wondering whether ownership will approve the biggest free-agent deal in franchise history. We\u2019re stuck debating whether the Pirates will open their checkbook before we can even get into whether Lowe is worth the money.<\/a><\/p>\n The Liriano contract has survived long enough to become a reference point for one disappointing offseason after another. Every winter that passes makes that record harder to defend. At some point, the Pirates should identify a player worth paying and get the deal done. Instead, we keep dragging a December 2014 transaction into conversations about how serious ownership is about building a contender.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve gotten way too used to the financial limits around this team. <\/a>Lowe just delivered 35 homers, 96 RBI and an .824 OPS in 2026, and we\u2019re already wondering whether Pittsburgh will pay to keep that kind of power at second base.<\/p>\n There\u2019s always another way to explain how the Pirates might survive losing somebody. But how exactly are they planning to get better?<\/p>\n Keeping Lowe would preserve a major piece of the lineup. They would still need to build around him, fill other holes and give the roster enough depth to get through a full season. A record contract is just the first step, but they’d still have to finish the job.<\/p>\n Lowe\u2019s eventual contract could land above or below ESPN’s projection. The Pirates could decide another player offers better value. Either way, they still owe their fans a roster with a better chance to win.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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