Pirates Trade Rumors: Bucs, Cubs Have Discussed Mitch Keller Trade

Mitch Keller will be generating plenty of trade buzz over the next couple weeks, and the Pittsburgh Pirates have reportedly discussed a potential deal with a division foe.

According to 670thescore’s Bruce Levine, the Pirates and Chicago Cubs have had talks about a trade that would send Keller to the Windy City.

Keller is now in his seventh season with the Pirates. The 29-year-old has pitched much better than his abysmal 1-10 record indicates. In 16 starts, Keller has a respectable 4.02 ERA, which is just above league average. He’s totaled 94 innings and has allowed 91 hits with 24 walks and 73 strikeouts. Keller also has a healthy 3.25 FIP, indicating he’s pitched better than his surface-level numbers show.

Since the start of the 2023 season, the year Keller was named a National League All-Star, Keller has logged the fifth-most innings pitched in baseball (466.1).

The Pirates signed Keller to a five-year, $77 million contract at spring training last year. He’s making just under $15.5 million this season and is owed over $55 million through the end of the 2028 season.

In search of offense, the Pirates could dangle several of their big-league starting pitchers this trade deadline including Keller, Andrew Heaney and Bailey Falter. By trading Keller, the Pirates would be losing an anchor in their rotation, but they would give themselves some financial flexibility.

Levine notes that getting a deal done would be challenging given the sellers’ market. Any potential trade is further complicated due to the two teams sharing the National League Central.

Each of the Cubs’ top six prospects and 11 of their top 13 are position players. Their top four prospects are listed in MLB Pipeline’s top 100.