The New York Yankees could potentially target a trade for this compelling All-Star player.
The New York Yankees have still been sitting on the sidelines while other teams make big moves to improve this offseason, and it has been beyond frustrating for the fan base.
But could the Yankees finally complete a significant move in the coming days?
New York is reportedly scouring the trade market for starting pitching, and while the Yanks missed out on Edward Cabrera, there are other potential options for them.
Bryan Hoch of MLB.com pitched some familiar names, mentioning Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta and Washington Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore as possibilities.
But Hoch also named another potential target for the Yankees: Pittsburgh Pirates veteran Mitch Keller.
Hoch noted that New York pursued a trade for Keller back at the trade deadline and that the Yanks could possibly revisit trade talks for the righty this winter.
Keller broke into the big leagues with the Pirates back in 2019 and has had an interesting career in Pittsburgh, to say the least.
The 29-year-old made the All-Star team in 2023 after logging a 4.21 ERA while allowing 187 hits and racking up 210 strikeouts over 194.1 innings of work.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller. Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.But for as compelling as Keller is considering he is a former top prospect, he has actually been pretty disappointing for most of his career.
Keller pitched to the tune of a 4.19 ERA in 2025, averaging just 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. And over the course of his big-league tenure, he has registered a 4.51 ERA, 4.01 FIP and 1.382 WHIP.
The Yankees definitely need another starter with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon both slated to miss time to begin the 2026 campaign, but is Keller really the solution?
With Cole and Rodon sidelined, New York's rotation will consist of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren and likely Ryan Yarbrough.
There are obviously numerous question marks there, but once Cole and Rodon return, things will become considerably clearer. Taking that into consideration, would Keller even manage to stay in the starting rotation at that point?
If the Yankees are going to give up significant prospect capital for a pitcher, it will probably be more of a frontline arm than someone like Keller, who is really more of a back-end-of-the-rotation starter posing as a No. 2.