Mitch Keller’s dominant outing for Pirates vs Cardinals may reignite offseason trade talks

Amid a troubling pattern of diminished second-half production, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller looked like his first-half self in Tuesday's win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Keller racked up a season-high nine strikeouts and recorded his first quality start since July 22. He's now up to 16 quality starts this season, which is tied for the ninth-most in baseball.

Keller's ERA through seven games since the All-Star break is still an alarmingly high 7.59, compared to a 3.48 ERA through 20 starts before the break. But if he continues to build upon a strong outing like Tuesday's, it could go a long way toward making him a prime offseason trade candidate.

Mitch Keller’s dominant outing for Pirates vs Cardinals may reignite offseason trade talks

After months – if not years – of his name appearing in rumors, Keller somewhat surprisingly survived the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

Numerous postseason contenders – including the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox – had all been linked to the right-hander at one point or another. But none was able to meet what was reportedly a high asking price by the Pirates. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) even shared that one rival executive said that Pittsburgh didn't appear interested in exploring a deal too deeply, and thus ended talks fairly quickly.

However, that could change this upcoming offseason, when teams are looking to make moves that will impact their postseason chances beyond just the immediate future. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters (including Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that the club valued Keller's "leadership" and "proven performance" too much to trade him last month, but the reality is that they might be able to command the kind of hefty return they are seeking without the time crunch posed by the trade deadline.

Keller has long been one of the Pirates' most reliable starting pitcher. He's not going to give you anything flashy – he's not Paul Skenes – but he'll get the job done. He's a solid veteran anchor in the Pirates' rotation, but the fact of the matter is that Pittsburgh simply has too many talented arms coming up through the pipeline behind him.

The Pirates have their ace in Skenes. They have Johan Oviedo, who is exceeding expectations in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. They have Mike Burrows, who has so far proven to be worth the wait after injuries delayed his development in the minor leagues. They have Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler, two rookies who are being eased into their MLB careers by way of the bullpen, but are projected to be starters for the club next season and beyond.

And that's to say nothing of the eventual promotion of left-handed pitching prospect Hunter Barco or the impending return of Jared Jones, who might be better suited for a bullpen role (at least to start) as he works his way back from elbow surgery. At the end of the day, where does Keller fit in the Pirates' rotation? The answer may be simple: he doesn't.

If Keller continues to impress in his final few starts down the stretch, it could very well be his audition for his next team. His next scheduled start next week against the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers may have a lot more riding on it than just a win for the Pirates.

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