Do Pirates Have to Trade Mitch Keller This Offseason?
p/c: Phillip G. Pavely
Despite Mitch Keller being the most available starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was the not the first to be dealt this offseason, as the Bucs traded Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia.
Surprisingly, there were no trade rumors surrounding Keller at the Winter Meetings. The only Pirates pitcher that drew reported interest earlier this week was Mike Burrows with the Houston Astros.
Given the perceived minimal interest in Keller to this point, do the Pirates feel the need to move the veteran right-hander?
Keller has seemingly been a trade candidate since last offseason. Leading up to the trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs had interest, with rumors that Pittsburgh wanted Cubs top prospect Owen Caissie to headline the deal. There was also a report from the Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles that the Pirates and Orioles had the most talks regarding Keller heading into the final days of the deadline.
Right when the season had concluded, I wrote an article examining Keller’s complicated trade value going into the offseason.
2025 was respectable for Keller; posting a 4.19 ERA and a 4.02 FIP. He continued to be durable, as he posted his third consecutive season of 30 or more starts. However, it’s three straight years in which Keller has scuffled in the second half, which would certainly affect his value.
Keller will be owed about $55.7 million over the next three seasons, and $16.9 million in 2026.
Oviedo got the Pirates a Top 100 prospect in García, but Oviedo has two more years of control, at a much cheaper cost than Keller. It’s not to say Pittsburgh wouldn’t be able to acquire a bonafide prospect for Keller, but it would need to be like the Oviedo trade, where they deal from surplus to get a player in a positional logjam.
For the right price, the Pirates can obtain a quality, established bat for a controllable, young starter; such as Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows, Hunter Barco, or Bubba Chandler - the last of which being very unlikely.
While Keller is a steady innings eater, he’s nothing more than an above average starter, and the remainder of his contract is starting to get pricey. If the Pirates aren’t going to land an impactful, position player this offseason for Keller, then keeping him around wouldn’t be the worst option.