No matter what ends up happening this winter, there’s a very similar chance that the Pittsburgh Pirates will have the exact same roster to start the 2027 season that finished the 2026 campaign.

There’s even a chance that some of Pittsburgh’s key players from last year are no longer on the roster. Here are three Pirates who might not be back in 2027.

Brandon Lowe was Pittsburgh’s best player during the 2026 season; there’s no question about it. Because of that reality alone, the front office must do everything it can to bring the second baseman back for the foreseeable future.

However, as the 32-year-old prepares to hit the open market, the Pirates must be prepared, or at least have a contingency plan in place, for the possibility that he isn’t in the Opening Day lineup in 2027.

In a relatively thin free agent class, Lowe is likely to garner a lot of attention from opposing teams.

The left-hander is coming off a career year in which he slugged 35 home runs to a .260/.331/.493 slash line. Lowe’s .824 OPS was the best it’s been since the 2021 season. On top of all of that, Lowe made tremendous strides in the field, the evidence being that he’s a Gold Glove finalist at second base in the National League.

There’s a very real possibility that another team is willing to give Lowe a deal with an AAV that the Pirates aren’t interested in matching.

Mitch Keller has been a staple of Pittsburgh’s rotation since the 2019 season. There’s been some good and some bad during that tenure, but this offseason feels like it could be a time when the two sides head in separate directions.

Keller had an underwhelming 2026 campaign, logging a 5.29 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP in 22 starts, which wrapped up with the 30-year-old ending the year on the injured list.

Despite the numbers, Keller could still end up being a trade candidate for the Pirates this winter. Keller is still under contract through the 2028 season, and teams always seem to be searching for cost-controlled starting pitchers.

There’s no guarantee Keller does get moved, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him included in a trade package either.

The Pirates have been waiting for Endy Rodriguez’s breakout season for what feels like years at this point. The stats would suggest that it finally happened in 2026, as the 26-year-old logged a .840 OPS.

Rodriguez’s primary issue was that he was unable to stay on the field, which has been a common theme throughout his baseball career. Hip surgery cut his season short and could sideline him through the beginning of the 2027 season.

With Henry Davis’ defense behind the plate and Rafael Flores proving to be a legitimate two-way threat as a catcher, there may just not be room for Rodriguez on the 40-man roster, making him a non-tender candidate this fall.