Red Sox Named Top Trade Team for Pirates Starting Pitcher

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher has received trade interest from many teams, but one American League franchise might make the most sense for him.

David Schoenfield of ESPN wrote in his article, "MLB trade deadline dominoes for 10 biggest names on 2025 market", that the Boston Red Sox should trade for Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller.

He sees the Red Sox matching up well with the Pirates, as they have numerous bats that the Pirates would need, as they rank towards the bottom of most hitting metrics in 2025.

This includes outfielder Jarren Duran, who finished eighth in AL MVP voting in 2024 and has an $8 million club option for 2026, plus two more years of arbitration before hitting free agency in 2029.

Schoenfield also mentioned two other players that might interest the Pirates, including rookie Kristian Campbell, who has mostly played second base this season, but also has experience in the outfield.

He also noted that second baseman/shortstop Franklin Arias, who MLB Pipeline ranks as the top prospect in the Red Sox farm system and 34th in baseball.

Keller only has a 4-10 record over 21 starts this season, but has 15 quality starts, tied for the most in the MLB. A quality start is when a starting pitcher throws six innings and allows three runs or fewer.

He has a 3.53 ERA over 125.0 innings pitched, 97 strikeouts to 30 walks, a .239 opposing batting average and a 1.16 WHIP and His innings pitched rank ninth 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 Pirates could send Keller and his contract to the Red Sox and even bargain for more, thanks to Keller's great play and long team control.

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