ST. PETERSBURG -- Speaking at the Winter Meetings last week, Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander sounded neither eager nor obligated to trade longtime second baseman Brandon Lowe. He pointed to how Tampa Bay had held onto Lowe and teammate Yandy Díaz, the Rays’ relatively good standing from a payroll perspective and Lowe’s power at second base.
Yet, the Rays ended up trading Lowe on Friday, sending him to the Pirates with outfielder Jake Mangum and lefty reliever Mason Montgomery in a three-team deal that brought two high-upside prospects from the Astros -- outfielder Jacob Melton and right-hander Anderson Brito.
TRADE DETAILS
Pirates receive: 2B Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum, LHP Mason Montgomery
Astros receive: RHP Mike Burrows
Rays receive: OF Jacob Melton (now the Rays' No. 4 prospect), RHP Anderson Brito (now Rays' No. 6)
It’s a stunning move for the Rays, one that prioritizes the future over the present as they part with a prominent part of their recent past.
Lowe was a rare thing in baseball -- a long-tenured Ray. He was just the sixth player to spend the first eight years of his career with Tampa Bay. During that time, he became, as Neander put it Friday night, “one of the greatest Rays of all time.”
Lowe leaves with the third-most homers (157) in Rays history behind Evan Longoria and Carlos Peña, and he was central to the club’s run of five straight postseason appearances from 2019-23.
“Someone we greatly, greatly appreciate for all that he's done on the field and for the work that he and [his wife], Madison, have done off the field. These are people we care about deeply,” Neander said. “That's the hardest part of the job, is making these decisions and having to say these goodbyes, but incredibly grateful for all he's given this organization on the field.”
But Lowe was nearing the end of his contract extension and due $11.5 million next year, so the Rays became more willing to move him. Like Friday’s trade that sent starting pitcher Shane Baz to the Orioles, this one was more about the years to come than next season.
“This is a deal that adds a lot of ceiling and impact to our future, and just felt that it needed to be done for that reason,” Neander said. “We'll continue to work on the '26 team and sort through that over the next few months here.”
Trading Lowe leaves the Rays with significantly less left-handed power in their lineup and no obvious solution at second base. Reports have connected them to D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte, and there is plenty of time left in the offseason to pursue other options. Their top internal candidate is infielder/outfielder Richie Palacios.
It felt inevitable that the Rays would trade an outfielder this offseason, and it wound up being Mangum, the 29-year-old switch-hitter who served as a gritty, hard-nosed spark plug during his rookie season. The Rays also parted with Montgomery, the 25-year-old lefty who seemed poised for a huge season out of the bullpen but struggled with his command and consistency while posting a 5.67 ERA over 57 appearances.
COMPLETE RAYS PROSPECT COVERAGE
In return, the Rays received two players they view as potentially significant contributors moving forward, with Melton potentially helping their big league team next season.
Melton, 25, split this past season between the Astros and Triple-A Sugar Land. He had a Major League slash line of .157/.234/.186 with seven stolen bases in 78 plate appearances over 32 games. In 35 Triple-A games, he slashed .286/.389/.556 with six homers and 12 steals.
A second-round pick out of Oregon State University in the 2022 Draft, the left-handed-hitting Melton owns a career .255/.334/.462 line in the Minors. Ranked as the Astros’ No. 2 prospect at the time of the trade, Melton is regarded as a plus runner and a quality defensive center fielder with power at the plate.
“We think he's someone that has the potential to be a 20-homer, 40-steal, plus center fielder, elite outfielder wherever he is out there, and not terribly far off,” Neander said.
The Rays will let Melton compete for a spot on their Opening Day roster, but they have enough outfield depth that they don’t need to rush him. Cedric Mullins will start in center, and they will create plenty of competition in camp with the likes of Josh Lowe, Jake Fraley, Chandler Simpson, Jonny DeLuca, Palacios and Ryan Vilade.
Brito, 21, was Houston’s No. 7 prospect. An unheralded signing out of Venezuela in November 2023 -- he was 19 years old and received a mere $10,000 bonus -- he has put together a 2.36 ERA with 147 strikeouts in 103 innings over 27 appearances in the low Minors. Brito spent this past season with High-A Asheville and finished the year in the Arizona Fall League.
The Rays have discussed Brito with the Astros since the summer of 2024, when pro scout Jason Cole identified him as a potential starter with what Neander called “an explosive fastball and three secondary pitches mostly in place.” Another strong report from pro scout Max Cohen in the Fall League backed up the Rays’ data on him, and they felt compelled to add him to their system.
“We've got to build it out, but just a really impactful, talented arm that [isn’t] that easy to acquire,” Neander said. “We need to be mindful of bringing in more pitching, and certainly pitching that has ceiling, into the organization at times when we're thinking about moving other pitching out.”