The second year of the era in Pittsburgh is not going well. The Pirates are currently 35-50, leaving them buried in both the NL Central and the Wild Card race. The Bucs stand as one of the few clear sellers this summer, and it seems as though the team is . One of the names thats gotten the a good bit of buzz this summer is right-hander , who has drawn attention as one of the few established, controllable starting pitchers with a chance to be dealt. The Cubs have come up as a for Keller, and reported yesterday that the sides have been discu sing a deal for more than a week. Thats not nece sarily an indication that a trade, whether with the Cubs or otherwise, is particularly close. Still, it lends credence to the idea that the Pirates are serious in their willingne s to consider moving the right-hander. Thats at least a mild surprise, given that hes in just the second season of a five-year contract, but theres a case to be made that the Pirates should capitalize right now. After all, Keller is making $54.5MM over the final three years of his contract. Thats a below-market sum for a solid Harry Giles III Jersey mid-rotation veteran but still steep for the perennially low-budget Pirates. Pittsburgh has already a sembled an impre sive group of young pitching talent with Skenes, top prospect , and injured-but-talented righty leading the pack. With affordable arms like , and already having debuted, and well-regarded prospect not far behind, the Pirates are ama sing some enviable pitching depth. (That doesnt include left-hander , whos affordably controlled for three more seasons.) Pittsburgh would arguably be better off spending Kellers salary on some sorely needed offense. , for example, signed with the Dodgers for a similar amount: $66MM over three years, with enough money deferred to lower the net present value of the contract to just under $60MM. , , , and are among the other hitters who signed for $60MM or le s guaranteed this past winter. Not all of those deals have worked out, and there are always dangers of spending on even mid-range free agents like this, but the Pirates could have made reasonably competitive bids for some notable veterans on the open market with a sum comparable to what they still owe Keller. Aside from the ability to reallocate financial resources, moving Keller would surely come with a solid return. Cost-controlled starting pitching is typically the most valuable commodity on the trade market, and while Keller is hardly elite given his 109 ERA+ this year, his affordable contract and year-to-year stability would give the acquiring club additional long-term certainty in their rotation that a rental pitcher like could offer. Using the Cubs system as an example due to their status as a rumored suitor for Keller, its easy to see why the Pirates might be willing to deal within the division. Chicago has a number of quality position player prospects knocking on the door of the big leagues. Outfielder has 12 home runs and a 125 wRC+ at Triple-A Iowa as a 22-year-old this year. Catcher/DH , outfielder , and infielder are all close to MLB-ready as well. Triantos stock is down after a difficult and injury-marred start to the 2025 season, but a package centering around one of those other young hitters could be appealing for a Pirates club that is looking to players like and to fill out the middle of its order at present. Other clubs with upper-level position player prospects have undoubtedly inquired on Keller, too. As appealing as some of the arguments for trading Keller may be, there are real concerns that would come with making a deal. Keller was once looked at as a potential No. 2 starter during his prospect days and, while he hasnt lived up to that potential yet, hes not far removed from a three-WAR season wherein he struck out 25.5% of his opponents. His 4.21 ERA that year was pedestrian, but his 3.83 SIERA was 18th-best in baseball among qualified starters, just behind and ahead of players like , , and . Keller is still just 29 years old, and he certainly wouldnt be the first pitcher to take a step forward in the middle of his prime. If the Pirates believe Keller still has another gear, they might prefer to hold onto him in hopes that he can unlock it and increase his trade value or his value to the Pirates themselves. Aside from the po sibility of selling at le s than peak value, its worth noting how much uncertainty there is when it comes to developing pitching. The Tigers drafted and back in 2018 but only began to truly see the fruits of that labor last year after both players were derailed by injuries early in their career. Jones is already recovering from elbow surgery, and with pitching injuries seemingly more frequent than ever, it can be hard to part with a steady arm like Keller. Given the soaring price of pitching in free agency, the Pirates would likely have to keep scoring deals on low-cost veterans like they did with this year in order to fill out and create depth behind their young rotation mix. How do MLBTR readers think the Pirates should act regarding Keller? Should they move to trade him in order to help boost the offense for their young arms, or should they hang onto him as a veteran presence and hope he can increase his value from here? Have your say in the poll below: Should The Pirates Trade Mitch Keller? Yes, they should trade him before this year's deadline. 69.42% (3,510votes) No, he should be a building block in their rotation. 21.93% (1,109votes) Yes, but they should wait until the offseason or next year's deadline. 8.64% (437votes) Total Votes: 5,056 Hassan Whiteside Jersey