Pirates Offer Brandon Lowe $23.15M Qualifying Offer After Record 35-Homer Season

The Pittsburgh Pirates have moved to keep Brandon Lowe, extending the second baseman a one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer as he enters free agency for the first time in his career. Lowe has until November 17 to accept the deal or decline it and test the open market. Lowe earned the offer with the best season of his career. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays, where he spent eight years, the 32-year-old slugged 35 home runs in his lone year in Pittsburgh, the most ever by a Pirates second baseman, breaking Neil Walker's club record by 12. He hit .260 with a .331 on-base percentage and a .493 slugging mark across 150 games, driving in a career-best 96 runs, and was named one of three Gold Glove finalists at second base after improving his defence. If Lowe declines and signs elsewhere, Pittsburgh will receive draft-pick compensation. He was one of only eight players across the majors to receive a qualifying offer, alongside Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena, Trevor Rogers, Adrian Morejon, David Bednar, Jake Bauers and Ryan Jeffers. Projections of Lowe's market are sharply divided. Former general manager Jim Bowden projected a three-year, $45 million deal, while ESPN's Kiley McDaniel believes he could land something close to four years and $80 million. Either way, the Pirates have made their intentions clear: they want their record-breaking second baseman back.