The Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates struck a big three-team trade on Friday afternoon, with the Pirates acquiring infielder Brandon Lowe, pitcher Mason Montgomery and outfielder Jake Mangum from the Rays. The Rays picked up two prospects from the Astros and the Astros got pitcher Mike Burrows from Pittsburgh.

How does this deal involve the Toronto Blue Jays? It doesn't... directly... but that doesn't mean they can't still be affected by it.

The Rays got weaker

The Rays know exactly what they are doing with prospect development, so the fact that they acquired good prospects from the Astros should have Blue Jays fans nervous moving forward. They acquired even more prospects in a subsequent trade of Shane Baz to the Baltimore Orioles.

Again, the Rays will likely turn these prospects into good future pieces, but you know what? The Blue Jays are looking to win the World Series right now. They aren't concerned about the future, so if the Rays fall off makes it easier for the Blue Jays to win games against them in 2026 and win the division crown, then that's a good thing.

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Brandon Lowe is gone

In a potentially bigger win, Brandon Lowe, who is one of the bigger nemeses for the Blue Jays, is now gone from the division. Lowe has tormented the Rays in his career, hitting .268 with 21 homers and 56 RBIs. The .268 is well above his career average of .247 and his 21 homers are his most against any team.

He's also a .275 career hitter at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays will now face him just one series in 2026 and then he'll become a free agent. That's another win.

Also need to know

New Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce made an appearance on Foul Territory TV on Friday, saying that Team Mexico has asked him to play for them in the World Baseball Classic, but he's unsure if he will do it.

We heard earlier this week that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will officially play for the Dominican Republic. Several other Jays players are in the mix for WBC roster spots including Andres Gimenez and Anthony Santander (Venezuela) and Alejandro Kirk (Mexico).

As for the rest of the offseason, the Jays will continue trying to find that elusive bat. They've been connected to Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, and trade target Ketel Marte, though the market for offensive players has been slow to develop.

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