The Pittsburgh Pirates have an opportunity to give their fans something more meaningful than another offseason promise. However, an important decision comes with a familiar concern: whether ownership will spend what is necessary to keep a player the team should want back. General Manager Ben Cherington’s latest comments offered little reassurance that this situation will end differently.
Brandon Lowe’s future is a significant test of the direction Pittsburgh wants to take. Keeping him would give the Pirates a chance to build around an established piece rather than create another hole that needs filling.
For a fan base accustomed to watching financial considerations dominate baseball decisions, the latest update sounds uncomfortably familiar.
Ben Cherington Addresses Brandon Lowe’s Future
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Colin Beazley reported on what Cherington told reporters Tuesday about a possible new agreement with Lowe. The general manager expressed interest in a reunion, although his answer stopped well short of suggesting anything was close.
“It would be a great outcome if [Brandon Lowe] was a Pirate next year,” Cherington stated, per Beazley.
That is a reasonable sentiment. It is also an easy one to express without making a financial commitment.
Pirates fans have heard plenty about preferred outcomes over the years. Their frustration comes from the distance between what the front office says it wants and what ownership ultimately authorizes it to spend.
Cherington’s next comment did little to close that gap.
“We’ve agreed to take it a step at a time. I’m sure there’ll be another conversation at some point soon,” Cherington said.
There is nothing in those words that guarantees Lowe is leaving. Negotiations can take time, and neither side has to conduct them publicly. However, there is also little reason to interpret that answer as evidence of meaningful progress.
Another conversation “at some point soon” is a loose timeline for a decision with real consequences for Pittsburgh’s lineup.
The concern is especially understandable given the Pirates’ longstanding reputation for avoiding expensive commitments. Fans are being asked to trust a process that has too often left them disappointed when money becomes the deciding factor.
Pirates Have To Back Up Their Interest With An Offer
Wanting Lowe back and being willing to meet his price are separate questions. Cherington answered the first. His comments offered no clear answer to the second.
That distinction should drive the conversation until an agreement is reached or Lowe chooses another destination.
Pittsburgh cannot reasonably sell improvement while treating the retention of an important player as something it would simply be nice to accomplish. Losing him would leave the front office responsible for replacing what he provides, potentially turning one offseason need into several.
For now, the Pirates have left the door open. That matters, but fans should not celebrate yet.
Cherington does not need to reveal contract figures to demonstrate urgency. He does need ownership willing to turn interest into action.
Until that happens, his vague answers give fans more reason to worry than relax. A “great outcome” requires more than another conversation. It requires a check.
Pirates GM Gives Revealing Update On Brandon Lowe Extension