Brandon Lowe is going to be an interesting decision for the Rays this year. BTV says he has no value, and if the Rays agree they can choose to not exercise their team option for 2026. I don’t believe that to be the case though, as there aren’t a lot of 30 HR hitting 2B out there. The Royals in particular seem to have a desperate need to improve 2B, as they received only 82 wRC+ and -0.1 fWAR from the position in 2025. So this trade fills a big hole in the Royals lineup with the lefty bat of Lowe in return for a promising lefty pitching prospect in Shields. Maybe it’s a bit of an overpay for KC but they have to improve their team offense to take the next step and a $11.5MM commitment to Lowe is a very cost effective way to improve.