Trade Value Rising for Pirates Starting Pitcher

PITTSBURGH — A highly coveted Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher has driven up his trade value, thanks to his great play in recent weeks.

Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller is one of the most in-demand players for MLB teams, ahead of the trade deadline at the end of July.

Keller only has a 3-10 record over 18 starts, but has a 3.64 ERA over 106.1 innings pitched, 84 strikeouts to 26 walks, a .245 opposing batting average and a 1.19 WHIP. He ranks tied for eighth in the MLB, along with fellow Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes, with 12 quality starts in 2025.

Keller has excelled over the past month, allowing three runs or less in each of his past five starts for a sub 2.50 ERA.

He got his second win of the season in the 9-1 victory vs. the New York Mets at PNC Park on June 27, allowing a solo home run and posting four strikeouts. This marked his first win since his season debut vs. the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park on March 28 and his first win at PNC Park since July 8, 2024, when he also beat the Mets.

Keller then had one of his best starts of the season in his most recent outing vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on July 2. He threw 97 pitches over seven innings, allowed five hits, one walk and hit a batter, but no runs and posted seven strikeouts in the 5-0 victory.

He also set the new record for most strikeouts by any pitcher at PNC Park, currently at 389, moving past former Pirates left-handed starting pitcher Paul Maholm (2005-11), who had 383 strikeouts.

He signed a five-year, $77 million extension on Feb. 22, 2024, keeping him with the team for the future as the Pirates looked to compete.

Keller 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.

Teams competing for a spot in the postseason, like the Chicago Cubs and the Mets, have inquired into Keller for a trade.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports wrote that the Cubs are looking for new starting pitcher depth, especially with an injury to Pirates former second overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, right-handed pitcher Jameson Taillon.

The problem for the Cubs, as Nightengale puts it, is that Keller has dominated in recent weeks, making a trade even harder.

"The Cubs’ urgency to find another starter accelerated when they placed veteran Jameson Taillon on the injured list with a calf strain, sidelining him for at least a month," Nightengale wrote. "They continue to pursue Pirates starter Mitch Keller, but his price tag is soaring with Keller yielding a 2.40 ERA in his last five starts, including seven scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals."