Blue Jays Interested in Pirates Starting Pitcher

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a starting pitcher that many teams vying for postseason success are looking at ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Toronto Blue Jays are joining in on the competition for a trade involving Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller.

The Blue Jays have a 59-41 record, in first place of the American League East division, four games ahead of the second place New York Yankees, and have the second best record in the AL.

Hiles also reported that Blue Jays President of Baseball Operations Mark Shapiro is in his final year of his contract and some MLB insiders see the team making many moves at the trade deadline, as they bolster their team ahead of a run in the playoffs.

Keller only has a 3-10 record over 20 starts this season, but has 14 quality starts, tied for third most in the MLB. A quality start is when a starting pitcher throws six innings and allows three runs or fewer.

He has a 3.48 ERA over 119.0 innings pitched, 92 strikeouts to 27 walks, a .237 opposing batting average and a 1.14 WHIP. His innings pitched rank 18th most in the MLB.

Keller signed a five-year, $77 million contract on Feb. 22, 2024 and currently makes $15,411,500 in 2025, the most a Pirates player is earning this season on their payroll. He is only one of two players making more than $10 million this season, along with outfielder Bryan Reynolds at $12,250,000.

His salary increases $1.5 million each year over the next two seasons, to $16,911,000 in 2026 and then $18,411,000 in 2027, then an increase of $2 million in 2028 to $20,411,000.

The Blue Jays have two starting pitchers heading into free agency after this season in Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer and Kevin Gausman will become a free agent after the 2026 season.

This makes Keller a more desired trade candidate, as Toronto would have three more years of team control after this season.

Many other teams reportedly shown trade interest in Keller, along with the Yankees, the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs, who are all competing for a spot in the playoffs.