MLB Rumors: Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery are heading to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a three way trade involving the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros, per reports.
Lowe, a 31 year
old lefthanded hitting second baseman, slashed .256/.307/.477 last season in 134 games while posting a 1.9 bWAR and a 1.7 fWAR. For his career, he has a .247/.326/.481 slash line over parts of 8 seasons. He is under contract for $11.5 million for 2026, and will be a free agent after the season.
Mangum, 29, has been traded twice before, but this is the first time he hasn’t been A Player To Be Named Later in a trade. The 29 year old was originally drafted by the New York Mets in 2019 out of Mississippi State, was a PTBNL in a December, 2022, trade between the Mets and the Marlins, and then was a PTBNL in a December, 2023, trade between the Marlins and the Rays. 2025 was the first time he ever played in the majors, and he put up a .296/.330/.368 slash line in 118 games while playing all three outfield spots.
Montgomery, 25, is a lefthanded pitcher who is a native of Leander, Texas, and who was drafted out of Texas Tech in 2021. He put up a 5.67 ERA in 46 innings over 57 appearances in 2025.
To land those three players, the Pirates are giving up pitcher Mike Burrows, who is headed to Houston. Burrows is a 26 year old righthander who put up a 3.94 ERA and a 4.00 FIP in 96 innings over 19 starts and four relief appearances in his rookie season for the Pirates in 2025.
Centerfielder Jacob Melton and pitcher Anderson Brito are going from Houston to Tampa in this deal.
Melton, 25, was a second round pick of the Astros in 2022 out of Oregon State. In his first taste of major league action in 2025, he slashed .157/.234/.186. He did put up a much more impressive .286/.389/.556 slash line for Sugar Land in 2025, however, and Baseball America has him as the #1 prospect on their Houston Astros list.
Brito, 21, is a righthanded pitcher who is #3 on the BA Astros prospect list. He put up a 3.28 ERA in 12 starts in high-A in 2025, and also had four appearances in the Arizona Fall League.
