As part of the deal, the Pirates received Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum, and left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery (all from the Rays).
In return, Tampa received outfielder Jacob Melton and right-handed pitcher Anderson Brito (both from the Astros).
And the Astros received right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows from the Pirates.
Lowe, the centerpiece of the trade, hit 31 home runs with 83 RBI during the 2025 season with a .256/.307/.477 slashline.
The 31-year-old, who had been with the Rays his entire eight-year career, will be finding a new home in Pittsburgh for his ninth professional season.
Lowe is currently in the final year of his six-year, $24 million deal with the Rays and will be an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season. He's set to make $11.5 million in 2026.
The two-time All-Star will be adding some pop for a Pirates team that ranked dead last in home runs (117) last season. They were the only team to hit fewer than 140, with the second-to-last being the St. Louis Cardinals with 148.
Pirates acquisitions
Other promising pieces heading to Pittsburgh include last year's rookie Mangum, who was very impressive in his time with the Rays. The now two-year man in the outfield hit .296 last season with three home runs, 40 RBI, and a solid 27 bases through 118 games.
Montgomery is another young talent from the Rays system. The 25-year-old pitcher is a work-in-progress out of the bullpen coming off his second year, tossing a 5.67 earned run average in 2025 with 63 strikeouts and 27 walks through 46 innings (57 games).
Rays acquisitions
As for Tampa, centerfielder Melton was a rookie for the Astros last season who only played in 32 professional games, hitting just .157 with seven RBI and seven stolen bases. However, Melton slashed .286/.389/.556 with six home runs, 17 RBI, and 12 stolen bases through 35 games in Triple-A ball.
Ironically enough, Melton's first career hit this past season was against the Rays.
Venezuelan pitcher Brito will be a project for the Rays. At 20 years old, Brito tossed a 3.65 ERA in A+ ball last season, striking out 65 and walking 28 through 49.1 innings (12 games).
Astros acquisitions
And lastly, for the Astros, they received Burrows - the Pirates' No. 11 prospect from 2024 (No. 7 pitcher).
In his first full season with the Pirates this past year, Burrows posted a solid 3.94 ERA with 93 strikeouts through 96 innings, giving up 88 hits and 31 walks, with opponents batting .243 against him.
He'll look to help boost an Astros starting rotation for years to come after the team finished 11th in overall ERA in 2025.
