Padres Linked to Blockbuster Trade for All-Star Pitcher

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller has been linked with a move to the San Diego Padres.

Keller is in his seventh season in MLB, all of which he has spent with Pittsburgh, and has solidified himself as a solid piece of the Pirates' rotation. He received All-Star honors in 2023, a season in which he struck out 210 batters.

Keller has not had as successful of a 2025 season, currently sitting at 1-5 with a 4.15 ERA, but he is still displaying his quality. He struck out a season-high eight batters and gave up only two runs in his start against the Mets on May 13, though he received a loss for the performance.

"As of Saturday, Keller has a 4.40 ERA with a 5.14 xERA," says Drew VonScio, Contributing Writer on Newsweek. "However, his FIP comes in at just 3.69, which indicates poor defense has caused Keller's ERA to shoot up. Over the two last seasons, his groundball rate has declined significantly -- a major reason why his stats have taken a dip this season and last season."

If Keller were to switch Pittsburgh for San Diego, he would need to find a way into an already strong rotation which boasts the second-best ERA in the National League among starters. Currently, the Padres' rotation consists of Nick Pivetta, Michael King, Dylan Cease, Randy Vasquez and Stephen Kolek. All of the starters but Cease have an ERA under 4.00, and the newly-implemented Kolek pitched a complete game shutout in his second career start.

After this season, the right-hander will have three years of his five-year, $77 million contract with Pittsburgh, so he will not come cheap to the Padres. VonScio suggests the Padres could deal Gavin Sheets to a poor Pirates offense due to their lack of strength in the farm system. However, the Padres are unlikely to move on from Sheets as he's a need in the lineup.

While the Padres may not desperately need starting pitching, they are looking for any boost they can get in the race for first in the NL West. They trail the Dodgers, who have the best record in the National League, by 0.5 games.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.