Padres Tabbed as Fit For $77 Million Starting Pitcher in Major Trade Deadline Move

Amid the San Diego Padres' struggles for rotational depth, The Athletic has linked the Friars to the Pittsburgh Pirates' Mitch Keller ahead of the trade deadline.

The Pirates are in bad shape in the NL Central, sitting 10 games behind fourth place and 18 games under .500. With the deadline closing in, they could look to sell anyone not named Paul Skenes or Oneil Cruz in return for young pieces to build for the future, which the Friars have a multitude of.

Keller has been with the Pirates organization for his entire career, as the Buccos drafted him in 2014 and signed him to an extension through 2028 before last season.

Keller made his debut in 2019, but established himself in the Pirates' rotation in 2022, posting a 3.91 ERA through 29 starts. He made the All-Star game in the following season, joining closer David Bednar as the only two Pirates to make the Midsummer Classic that season.

This season, he has a 3.58 ERA — which would be his lowest ERA in a season since 2020, when he started five games due to the shortened season — and has a 119 ERA+, well above league average. His 3-10 record doesn't reflect how well he's pitched this season, as he has recieved the third lowest run support per game (2.79 runs) among pitchers with 15 or more starts.

The Padres are aching for starters, as ace Michael King is out indefinitely with a nerve issue and Joe Musgrove is out after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. Yu Darvish's return gave the Padres a boost, however they will likely need another solid rotation arm to give them the edge in the race for the NL Wild Card.

The Friars are agonizingly close to the final Wild Card spot, sitting just 0.5 games back of the San Francisco Giants, who currently hold the spot.

The Giants have a three-game series against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the All-Star break, while the Padres will take on the Philadelphia Phillies at home in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:40 p.m. PT.

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