Report: Cubs Interested in Trading for Multiple Pirates Pitchers

The Pittsburgh Pirates will likely be making some moves before the MLB trade deadline, as they are out of playoff contention and have many pieces that should generate significant interest.

While Paul Skenes is probably staying put, the Pirates do have some other pitchers who could potentially get dealt, and two names that have surfaced are starter Mitch Keller and closer David Bednar, both of whom have apparently drawn the attention of the Chicago Cubs.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today has reported that the Cubs "would love to get their hands on Keller and Bednar," which certainly creates an intriguing situation for Pittsburgh.

Would the Pirates really trade with an NL Central rival? It's not like divisional trades are a complete non-starter. They have happened plenty of times before, and let's be honest: Chicago is absolutely loaded with prospects that could pique Pittsburgh's interest.

Keller is in the middle of his seventh season with the Pirates and has pitched to the tune of a 4.03 ERA this season, allowing 91 hits while registering 73 strikeouts over 94 innings of work.

The 29-year-old is under team control through 2028, so Pittsburgh could definitely ask for a haul in return for the right-hander, even if he owns a middling lifetime 4.52 ERA.

Meanwhile, Bednar is in his fifth season with the Pirates and has been terrific for most of his tenure in Pittsburgh. Outside of 2024, when he logged a 5.77 ERA, the 30-year-old has been one of the better relievers in the game throughout his tenure with the Bucs, and in 31 appearances this year, he owns a 2.93 ERA and a 12.7 K/9 rate.

Bednar made back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2022 and 2023.

We'll see what the Pirates decide to do in the coming weeks and whether or not they would be interested in dealing with the Cubs.