Insider says Pirates will blow Mitch Keller trade before it even happens

The Pittsburgh Pirates are approaching a crucial offseason, though you'll have to forgive the fanbase if there's more pessimism than optimism that the franchise can turn this sinking ship around.

One of the key moves general manager Ben Cherington will have to make is trading starting pitcher Mitch Keller, ideally for some help on the offensive side of the ball. Keller, 29, has three years and more than $54 remaining on his backloaded deal, and he's coming off a season in which he recorded a 4.19 ERA in 176 1/3 innings.

Part of what made the Pirates' trade deadline performance so disappointing was that, despite endless rumors, Keller wasn't moved at all. That will almost certainly change this winter with the most expensive years of his contract coming up, but it's hard to wash away the bad taste of all those July rumors leading to nothing.

So, then, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Noah Hiles went scorched earth on the Pirates, preaching that fans should be prepared for a disappointing trade return in exchange for their No. 2 starter.

Pirates' recent history should give fans little faith for a good Mitch Keller return

"It seems like they don't have a lot of leverage here," Hiles explained. "Pretty much all of baseball knows they want to trade Mitch Keller. [He's] the only big chip they plan on moving this offseason, so it's hard to imagine them getting the [return] a lot of people are hoping Mitch Keller will net."

Hiles went on to suggest that the Pirates will make a few other moves this offseason -- even raising the ludicrous concept of the team signing a free agent to a two-year deal -- though it's all just window dressing. "Talk is cheap, and that's why [Bob] Nutting loves it so much—because words are free," the Post-Gazette reporter lamented.

It's tough to start off such a crucial offseason with this kind of attitude, but Hiles has seen this story with this team before. He knows that real change isn't coming as long as Nutting is content to watch this team lose 90+ games a season.

While Keller is one of the most consistent starters in the league -- he's pitched between 175-200 innings in each of the past three seasons, with an ERA between 4.19-4.25 each time -- the Pirates' frugal ways won't earn Cherington, hardly a deft negotiator in his own right, any leverage points. Remember how little the GM got for closer David Bednar in a ridiculous reliever market?

With Don Kelly set to take over the managerial reins full time in 2026, there's at least some reason to hope that next year will be different. Of course, it takes just one disappointing trade of a franchise stalwart to quash those hopes.