Pirates Could Trade Starting Pitcher to Blue Jays

PITTSBURGH —The Pittsburgh Pirates have the MLB trade deadline coming up in three weeks and may move one of their starting pitchers to an American League team.

Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller is one player that trade talks continue occurring around over the recent weeks. Both the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, team preparing for postseason success, have both reportedly targeted Keller in trade talks.

Keller has had a strong season for the Pirates, despite a 3-10 record over 19 starts. He has 13 quality starts, tying him for fourth most in the MLB.

He also has a 3.58 ERA over 113.0 innings pitched, 89 strikeouts to 27 walks, a .240 opposing batting average and a 1.17 WHIP.

Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote about the best moves at the trade deadline for the top contenders in the MLB.

One trade he wrote about included Keller going to the Toronto Blue Jays, which he sees benefitting both teams.

He acknowledges Keller's long team control, as he signed a five-year, $77 million extension on Feb. 22, 2024, something that the Blue Jays would want with eventual starting pitcher departures to free agency.

Keller 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.

The Pirates could move his contract, albeit, a team-friendly one, for offensive production, which the team sorely needs, as they rank towards the bottom of most bating metrics.

Passan also mentions the plethora of young talent the Pirates possess in their pitching corps, including the likes of top propsects in Bubba Chandler and Hunter Barco, plus recently promoted players in Mike Burrows and Braxton Ashcraft, plus the likes of current starters in All-Star Paul Skenes and Bailey Falter.

While he isn't confident in the Blue Jays' farm system, he mentioned shortstop Arjun Nimmala, their No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, on a recent radio interview on SportsNet 590 The FAN.

"Adding Keller solves multiple problems at once," Passan wrote. "The 29-year-old is producing the best season of his seven-year career with the Pirates, averaging nearly six innings a start and giving up only seven home runs in 106⅓ innings. The Blue Jays need rotation help -- and, in a deal for Keller, could try to get David Bednar, Dennis Santana or Caleb Ferguson from the Pirates to complement an already-good bullpen riding breakouts from Braydon Fisher and Brendon Little."

"Further, Keller remains under contract for three years at a reasonable $54.5 million, and with starters Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer free agents after this year and Kevin Gausman following the 2026 season, Toronto covets controllable starting pitching in a market that, at the moment at least, doesn't offer much."

"Pittsburgh could hold onto Keller and march into 2026 with a staff of Keller, Paul Skenes, Mike Burrows, Bubba Chandler and Bailey Falter — easily a top-10 rotation, maybe better — with Hunter Barco not far behind. But the Pirates desperately need bats, and although Toronto's farm system is not teeming with them, the Blue Jays can cobble together enough to make a deal worth Pittsburgh's while."