3 perfect fits the Pittsburgh Pirates should target in potential Mitch Keller trade

Pittsburgh Pirates’ right-hander Mitch Keller’s name has been swirling around trade rumors this past month. If the Pirates end up listening to offers on Keller, they shouldn’t have a shortage of interest. Keller owns a 3.64 ERA, 3.24 FIP, and 1.19 WHIP this season while already having 106.1 innings pitched. While he only has an 18.9% K%, his 5.8% walk rate is a career-low mark, as is his 0.59 HR/9, and 6.8% barrel rate.

Keller is as reliable as you can get. Since his 2022 breakout, Keller has the ninth-most games started with 110, and the 12th-most innings pitched with 637.2. Keller is also one of just 13 pitchers since 2022 with at least 600 innings pitched, an ERA+ of 100 or better (Keller sits at 105), and an FIP below 4.00 (currently is at 3.80). Additionally, he has three years of control remaining, totaling just under $60 million. That’s a steal in today’s game.

The Pirates need help on offense, and Keller could net them a good bat. They need to target either an outfielder with some MLB success, or a top prospect who is nearing MLB-readiness, and these three fit the bill the best.

3 ideal trade targets for Pirates amid Mitch Keller rumors

Wilyer Abreu

The Boston Red Sox make a great fit for Keller on paper. They need some controllable pitching, the Pirates need outfield help, and the Sox have a ton of young and controllable outfielders. Wilyer Abreu should be atop the Pirates’ trade target wishlist, even though fellow outfield mate Jarren Duran has been more publicly advertised as available. Abreu has followed up his quality rookie campaign with an even better sophomore season, improving in many areas of his game.

Abreu hit .261/.329/.502 with a 123 wRC+ in his first 286 plate appearances this season. Abreu is walking 9.4% of the time, which is a slight improvement from his 8.9% BB% from last season. However, he’s significantly cut down on the strikeouts and swing and miss in his game. Abreu struck out in 28% of his plate appearances and had a 29.6% whiff rate in 2024. However, he’s now only striking out 23.4% of the time with a whiff percentage of 22.9%. That improved plate discipline hasn’t hurt Abreu’s power. If anything, he’s hitting for more pop. He already has more home runs this year (17) than last year (15) in 161 fewer plate appearances, and has seen his isolated slugging percentage skyrocket from .206 to .241.

Both Abreu’s 90.9 MPH exit velocity and 12.5% barrel rate are better than average. Abreu’s expected stats are all much better than last year. He wasn’t above the 60th percentile of either xSLG%, xwOBA, or xBA in 2024. Now, he is in the 78th percentile of xwOBA at .358, the 86th percentile of xSLG% at .516, and the 53rd percentile of xBA at .361. 

Abreu is hitting very well, but his defense is even better. He has +8 defensive runs saved and +4 outs above average already. Strong defense was expected from Abreu after he had +16 DRS and +6 OAA in his rookie year. Abreu has one of the most powerful arms among all position players. His throws from the outfield at an average 94.3 MPH, which is the 10th-best in baseball. If the Red Sox are looking to clear their outfield logjam by dealing Abreu, Pittsburgh should push for the move.

Heliot Ramos

Heliot Ramos is one of the San Francisco Giants’ many young and talented outfielders in their organization. Ramos was a MLB All-Star last year and is doing very well in 2025. He is slashing .270/.345/.446 with a .345 wOBA, and 124 wRC+ through his first 391 plate appearances. Ramos already has 14 home runs and a .177 ISO. Ramos has also made some improvements to his plate discipline, upping his walk rate from 7.1% to 7.9%, while cutting his whiff rate from 28.7% to 24.2% and his K% from 26.1% to 23.8%.

Ramos’s defense receives mixed reviews. Last year, he was an above-average glove in left field, with +4 DRS and +1 OAA in less than 500 innings. However, he currently has -4 DRS and -5 OAA at the position this season. Right field may end up being his best position, where he has 0 DRS, -1 OAA, and a +6.6 UZR/150, albeit in only 123.1 innings. Center field isn’t an option, however. He was a disaster there last year, with a whopping -15 DRS and -7 OAA with only 504.2 frames. 

The Giants have Robbie Ray, Logan Webb, and Landen Roupp in their rotation. However, Hayden Birdsong has struggled mightily since moving to a starting pitching role, and Ray is a free agent after 2026. Justin Verlander’s age has become more and more apparent over the last two seasons. The Giants also dealt both former top prospect Kyle Harrison and hard-throwing right-hander Jordan Hicks in the Rafael Devers swap. The Giants already have a ton of young outfield talent. They don’t have nearly as much pitching talent in comparison.

Ramos would be a huge ask, but the Pirates should put an exorbitant price tag like that on Keller. Ramos is the power-hitting outfielder the Pirates need. Plus, he comes with four years of control remaining. His bat and glove would arguably play up, given that PNC Park slightly favors right-handed hitters more than Oracle, and the Pirates could put Ramos in right field, where he is a better defender.

Carson Benge

One team that has reportedly shown interest in Keller are the New York Mets, and one of their best prospects is an outfielder, Carson Benge. He was their first-round pick last year (19th overall selection) and got off to a phenomenal start to his pro career at High-A, batting .302/.417/.480 with a 165 wRC+ across 271 plate appearances. Benge flashed power and speed, sporting a .178 ISO and going 15-for-17 in stolen base attempts.

His great start at High-A led to a promotion to Double-A during the last week of June. Benge’s first 10 games since his promotion went decently. He drew more walks than strikeouts, with seven free passes to only five Ks in 40 trips to the dish. He posted just eight hits, but was suppressed by a .259 batting average on balls in play through a small sample size. Benge still owns a 121 wRC+ at Double-A.

Benge has the potential to be a five-tool outfielder. He’s shown good skills when it comes to making contact and plate discipline. He has a sub-10% swinging strike rate this season, and is doing that while flashing average power. Benge is fast enough to remain in center field long term, where he projects as an average glove. However, his arm is well above average and will play in any of the three outfield positions. If he has to move to a corner, his glove may play up even more.

Benge is trending upward in prospect rankings as well. At the start of the year, Baseball Prospectus was the only major prospect ranking that had Benge in the top 100. Now, he can be found at the 74th overall position on MLB Pipeline’s rankings, and ranks 96th on Baseball America’s most recent updated top 100 list. While it would be more preferable if the Pirates got back a bat with some MLB experience, Benge’s current trends, his profile, and the fact that he’s doing well at Double-A already put him on track to make his MLB debut sometime next season.