The Pittsburgh Pirates might have a tough time trading Mitch Keller.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have already gotten active this offseason, trading pitcher Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox. Now, the focus has turned to Mitch Keller.
Many are expecting the Pirates to move Keller in the coming weeks, particularly to land an impact bat to install into a lineup that was baseball's worst this past season.
"Keller, 29, would be difficult to move for anything but an impact bat," wrote Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. "He has averaged 183 innings the past three seasons, and if the Pirates trade him, they might need to backfill his spot by adding another starter. The $54.5 million he is owed over the next three seasons is reasonable for a mid-rotation type.
But what can Pittsburgh actually expect to get in return for Keller?
Rosenthal has provided some bad news in that department, revealing that Keller's trade value is not exactly through the roof right now.
"Teams, though, are reluctant to give up hitters of even modest distinction, and better starters are currently available on the free-agent market," Rosenthal added. "If the Pirates are to move Keller, it might take time."
Keller may be just tad overrated in some circles.
The right-hander logged a 4.19 ERA this past season, allowing 171 hits and registering 150 strikeouts over 176.1 innings of work. Not bad, but certainly not what you want from a frontline starter, which is what many felt Keller was a few years ago.
Yes, the former second-round pick made an All-Star appearance in 2023, but even then, he posted a 4.21 ERA and modest 3.80 FIP. He did average a career-high 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings, but that number dipped to 8.4 and 7.7, respectively, the last two seasons.
All in all, Keller owns a lifetime 4.51 ERA, 4.01 FIP and 1.382 WHIP, so it seems doubtful that any teams will be falling over themselves to move a top bat in exchange for him.
That isn't to say that Keller doesn't have any value at all. He's a decent starter who eats innings, after all, and ballclubs need that. But will the Pirates actually land a game-changing talent in return for him? That doesn't appear all that likely.