ST. PETERSBURG -- The simplest case for the Rays trading second baseman Brandon Lowe is this: He’s a year away from free agency, about to earn an expensive-for-them $11.5 million salary and drawing interest from teams in need of infield help and left-handed power.
There are many reasons for the Rays to keep their longest-tenured player, despite the trade buzz that picked up during the Winter Meetings.
A week ago, MLB Network insider Jon Morosi reported that Lowe’s name was “a popular one” in trade talks and cited sources who “believe the chances of a deal involving him have increased.” The Pirates and Reds are among the teams with some level of interest, according to sources.
But on the final day of the Winter Meetings, Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander did not sound eager -- nor in any way obligated -- to part with the 31-year-old All-Star or fellow lineup mainstay Yandy Díaz.
“I just kind of keep going back to Brandon and Yandy, and those two in particular, that they've kind of stayed along for the ride as things have worked out,” Neander said. “We greatly appreciate both of them. We feel like, from a payroll/financial standpoint, we've gotten ourselves back to … a place where we are very OK with where we are. …
“We've also made decisions the last few years to kind of continue to roll forward with these guys. We greatly appreciate them and [would be] more than happy to ride into next year and see what this team can do.”
Of course, the fact that Lowe hasn’t been traded before doesn’t mean he won’t be dealt now. Neander subscribes to former Rays executive Andrew Friedman’s oft-repeated premise about operating with one eye on the present and one on the future. And the Rays are facing an uphill climb in a loaded American League East after missing the postseason the past two years.
With that in mind, here are three reasons for the Rays to keep Lowe and two reasons to trade him:
Keep him
1. Neander has not been shy about the Rays’ goal of winning a championship. Getting back to the playoffs will require contributions from as many players as possible, and Lowe is one they’ve been reluctant to trade for a reason.
He hit 31 homers and drove in 83 runs over 134 games in 2025, his best season since ’21. He’s one of the most accomplished and longest-tenured players in franchise history. Marcus Semien (145) is the only second baseman with more home runs than Lowe’s 134 since 2020, and Ketel Marte (.491) is the only player at the position with a higher slugging percentage than Lowe (.478).
Power like that is nearly impossible to find at second base. With an outfield that hit fewer homers than Lowe alone this year, the Rays should be counting on their infield/DH mix -- Lowe, Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero -- to lead the lineup. Removing Lowe would put much more pressure on those three and a bunch of bounce-back candidates in the outfield.
2. Lowe does things that would be hard for anyone to replace, and the Rays don’t have an obvious backup plan at second base. Next on the depth chart likely would be Richie Palacios, a versatile player who works tough at-bats but hardly a sure thing after injuries limited him to 109 games over the past two seasons.
3. Lowe is a veteran leader who has been through a lot. With new ownership, the move back to Tropicana Field and another search for a long-term ballpark, a little continuity in the clubhouse could go a long way.
Trade him
1. If Lowe is as popular as Morosi reported, greater interest should lead to a bigger return. Brendan Donovan and Marte presumably will entice a lot of teams also interested in Lowe, though, and alternatives create leverage for buyers.
2. Aside from the Trade Deadline, it’s the Rays’ last chance to recoup some value for Lowe before he hits free agency and potentially free up his salary to reshape their roster in other ways.
The Rays and D-backs have talked about Marte, according to the Arizona Republic, albeit with both Ryan Pepiot and Shane Baz involved in those conversations. Could the Rays swing a deal like that and find another way to fill their rotation?
Could they go all-in on defense up the middle while hoping they get enough power from Caminero, Aranda, Díaz, Cedric Mullins and Josh Lowe to make up for the loss of their slugging second baseman? If nothing else, it’s worth exploring creative solutions to improve the team.