Trading of Star Slugger Brandon Lowe Has Negatively Impacted Franchise for 2026

The trading of a star slugger has negatively impacted the Tampa Bay Rays in 2026

Sep 16, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) hits a RBI single ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

It has been a busy winter for the Tampa Bay Rays, and the team will likely still be working on a couple of improvements for the roster. However, there has to be some concern about whether or not they can compete. 

Coming into the winter, the franchise was optimistic that they were heading in the right direction. The Rays had a positive run differential in 2025, indicating that they should have been better than their record was at the end of the campaign. However, they finished eight games under .500 and were a non-factor in the second half of the season. 

So far this offseason, they have made some good moves to improve the team for 2026, but they have also made a trade that will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the franchise in the short term. With Tampa Bay still conscious about their payroll, they traded an All-Star slugger and restocked their farm system. 

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN recently wrote about the Rays taking a bit of a step back for 2026 of late, following the trade of Brandon Lowe. 

Lowe Trade Weakens Team Significantly

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

After picking up the team option for Lowe earlier this winter, he instantly became one of the top trade candidates this offseason and was ultimately dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team deal with the Houston Astros. 

While the return from the Astros in part of the deal was strong, with outfielder Jacob Melton leading the way, he might not be on the Opening Day roster. Losing a player of the caliber of Lowe is a massive blow to the lineup and replacing that production is going to be an enormous challenge. 

In 2025, he was named to his second All-Star team and had a great campaign. In 134 games played, he slashed .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI. He was one of the best offensive second basemen in baseball, and that type of loss is a significant one for the team. 

Currently, it would appear that Richie Palacios would be the favorite to be the starter. However, there are still some free agents that the team could look to bring in, and also some options on the trade market. The middle of the infield is currently a primary concern offensively for the team, and trying to find some more help at second base would be beneficial.