Brandon Lowe is Better Than Jazz Chisholm, and Pirates Need to Realize That

One of the biggest early offseason talks for teams not in the World Series has centered on what's going to happen with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Brandon Lowe. 

For the Pittsburgh Pirates, those are two guys who should be of interest to them. Losing Lowe would be a major concern and would require a replacement, but it's also fair to say that bringing in Chisholm if they lost Lowe wouldn't be the worst outcome. 

At the same time, it's fair to say Lowe is simply a better player than Chisholm, though the New York Yankees second baseman is just 28 years old and will turn 33 in the middle of next season.

Bleacher Report recently made predictions about the top free agents in this year's class, including Lowe and Chisholm. 

As for Chisholm, Kerry Miller suggested he could end up in Pittsburgh.

“Thanks in large part to their one-year acquisition of Brandon Lowe, though, they turned a corner, posting a winning record for the first time since 2018 and a positive run differential for the first time since 2015—this despite Paul Skenes becoming mortal on the mound while rookie phenom Konnor Griffin and key slugger Oneil Cruz missed a combined total of 147 games.

“With Lowe now headed for free agency, they need to add an infielder if they're going to chase this sudden surge of competence. Maybe they give Lowe a qualifying offer and he returns for one year at $23.15M. If he declines, perhaps they go the trade route again, pursuing Isaac Paredes from Houston or Ozzie Albies from Atlanta. Or maybe *record scratch* the Pirates sign one of the best free agents available in Jazz Chisholm Jr,” Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report wrote.

Chisholm is a tough player to evaluate because he's coming off an extremely down season and has had attitude problems people have cited in the past. 

It didn't really seem like he was that much of an issue in the Yankees clubhouse, though others have also suggested there was more than we were led to believe. 

There was obviously the incident where he was chewing a lollipop while playing, not talking to reporters after not playing in the postseason a year ago, and some other factors. 

However, he didn't seem like a terrible teammate by any means. As for Lowe, though, he's a stand-up professional, and with all the young talent in Pittsburgh, there's something to be said for that.