Pirates Reportedly Interested in Rays' All-Star Slugger at Winter Meetings

The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly interesting in trade for a star slugger from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sep 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A hat and glove belonging to Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo (not pictured) on the field against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays are very busy with the winter meetings ongoing in Florida, and the franchise will have some big decisions to make. 

As expected, the winter meetings have been a busy time throughout baseball with plenty of rumors flying and some players starting to move teams. The Rays were able to sign left-handed relief pitcher Steve Matz so far to help replace the production of Pete Fairbanks in the bullpen. 

Unfortunately, while Tampa Bay has been making some moves to upgrade, the rest of their division is also improving. Recently, the Baltimore Orioles signed New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso to a massive five-year deal to strengthen their lineup significantly. 

The Rays have also made some lineup upgrades by adding some help in the outfield, but they haven’t been able to make an impact addition like the Orioles recently did. With the winter meetings still going on, the team is going to have to make a decision regarding a player who has had his name mentioned frequently in trade rumors. 

Jon Morosi recently wrote about the Pirates being interested in Rays slugger Brandon Lowe following their pursuit of Kyle Schwarber coming up short. 

Lowe’s Market Heating Up

The Pirates are staying aggressive after their pursuit of Kyle Schwarber and are among the teams that have inquired to the Rays about Brandon Lowe.@MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 10, 2025

As the winter meetings continue to roll on, Tampa Bay has one of the most popular potential trade candidates in their star slugger. 2025 was a fantastic year for Lowe, who was able to stay healthy and produce. The 31-year-old slugger was one of the best offensive players at the position and, understandably, is drawing interest. 

With the Rays recently picking up his team option, Lowe is set to make $11.5 million, which is a very affordable number. The Pirates recently missed out on trying to lure Schwarber away from the Phillies, despite a very competitive offer. 

This is a franchise that is trying to improve its offense, and it doesn’t seem to be afraid to spend this winter. While Lowe is at an affordable number, he would provide the team with a massive improvement offensively. 

Pittsburgh is a team that is trying to make some noise this winter, and the addition of Lowe would be a splash for the franchise. With an excellent pitching staff led by Paul Skenes, the Pirates likely feel like they can contend if they start to score some more runs. The talented slugger of the Rays would undoubtedly be an upgrade for them, and the team seems interested in trying to get a deal done.