LAS VEGAS — The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the midst a busy offseason, but one decision looms large about how they operate moving forward.

Brandon Lowe, who was the Pirates' best hitter in 2026, is a free agent and will be one of the most talked-about players during the General Manager Meetings this week at the ARIA Resort and Casino.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington spoke with the media during the GM Meetings on Nov. 10 about Lowe and his future with the team.

Cherington said that it was a great time for both parties and that they want Lowe back, but that they aren't rushing discussions with him and his agency, which they've had since the season concluded in late September.

"Yeah, conversations are good," Cherington said. "Obviously, we had a great experience with Brandon. I think Brandon and Madison [wife] had a great experience in Pittsburgh, and it would be a great outcome if he was a Pirate next year and that's what we've communicated.

"We've agreed to take it a step at a time. I'm sure there'll be, you know, another conversation at some point soon. It's been a few days probably since I've had one, but the conversations have been both with Brandon directly at the end of the season and with his agent since.

Why Pirates Didn't Offer Extension In Season

The Pirates didn't offer Lowe a contract extension during the 2026 campaign, which could've kept their second baseman around for the future and not let him hit free agency.

Pittsburgh did extend the qualifying offer to Lowe, $23.15 million for 2027, which he has until Nov. 17 to accept or decline.

Cherington said that they didn't make Lowe a contract extension offer because they wanted to focus on making the postseason, and also turned down offers for him at the trade deadline because they had belief in their chances.

The Pirates didn't make the playoffs, last doing so back in 2015, but Cherington wasn't focused on the contract extension in season.

"We did not. We did not engage during the season, certainly, other than, I think, letting him know how much we appreciate him and how much, how great a fit we thought it was and could continue to be," Cherington said.

"We didn't take it a step further than that. Just felt like the timing wasn't right. Obviously, we were in it. We were trying to make a push for the postseason, and we wanted to keep our energy on that as much as we possibly could.

"I think part of it too is like when we got closer to the deadline, because we were in it. You know, we weren't considering offers for him at that point, so I think, you know, maybe that would have been a little different if we're trying to play that game where we're pivoting, but we were going to hold them and we were going to do everything we could to win as many games down the stretch. So it just never got to that one.

How Pirates Could Have Advantage With Lowe

Lowe had a great season with the Pirates and his best by WAR, 5.3, in his major league career.

He was not only great at hitting, but defensively too, going from one of the worst second basemen to a National League Gold Glove Award finalist.

Doing all of this in Pittsburgh was big for Lowe, who could continue to do that if he ends up deciding to stay and commit his future to the "Steel City."

Lowe was also big on charity and community work, the Pirates' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, a leader in the Pirates' clubhouse and said that he would be open to sticking around next season.

His play earned him recognition from across the league and made him a top free agent, but the Pirates could benefit from helping him have his best season yet in the fight to secure his services.

"Sure, it's different. I think you know, yeah. Brandon has like there's some like proof of concept. You know, he knows what it's like and has some comfort, and so you don't have to spend as much time on that part of it," Cherington said.

"He's also put himself in a really strong position, and good for him. And everybody's going to find out. He'll find out before any of us do on exactly what that means, but good for him for doing that."

Cherington Doesn't Regret Lowe Trade

The Pirates acquired Lowe in a three-team trade, which included him, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery arriving from the Tampa Bay Rays and them sending right-handed starting pitcher Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros.

Lowe was incredible, with his 35 home runs the most for a Pirate since Josh Bell's 37 in 2019, and he broke the franchise single-season record at PNC Park with 20 home runs.

His .493 slugging percentage and .824 OPS, plus his home runs, led all second basemen in baseball too.

Mangum was a valuable outfield option for the Pirates while Montgomery developed into the very best closer in baseball in the final two months of the season and will occupy that role going into 2027.

Lowe only had one year left on his contract, an $11.5 million club option the Rays triggered, so the Pirates and Cherington always knew he could be a free agent and sign elsewhere the following offseason.

Cherington noted that he would've always done that trade, that they reaped the rewards from it and will stay in touch with him going forward.

"I don't think you can, right? Like when we when we made the trade, if you would've said this would be the outcome, we would have taken that 10 out of 10 times," Cherington said.

"So if that also means that he's in a strong position, good, you know, great, good for him. We benefited from it too. So I don't think you can worry much about that.

"We'll just continue to be in touch with him, be honest about where we're at, I'm sure he will do the same and we'll continue to tackle the off season in every way we can.