MLB insider pitches insane Cubs-Pirates trade that neither team would agree to

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the hottest names in the trade market in Mitch Keller, and his market seems to be growing a lot more as the deadline approaches. Per reports, the Cubs and Mets are the two main squads that have registered public interest in the veteran right-hander.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote an article about a handful of trade packages prior to the break and included a bold one involving Keller and the Cubs. It wasn't just Keller, either; it included two time All-Star David Bednar, too. As soon as Chicago had reported interest in Keller, alink to Bednar followed close behind, and rumor has it there have been discussions about a package together.

But that is still not the final name involved, as Ke'Bryan Hayes is also in this proposed package.

Jon Heyman pitches a crazy mock trade between the Pirates and Cubs that makes zero sense.

Those three veterans all together would be pricey, nearing an added $30 million in payroll for Chicago - and that's just 2025, as Keller's salary will progressively increase, alongside Bednar's through arbitration. Hayes just doesn't hit well enough to be worth his pro-rated price of about $7 million this season.

Including Hayes in a package with Keller would be a massive mistake as is, because Hayes would bring down any value that Keller would bring. A package of Keller and Bednar would be fine, value-wise, but Hayes would torpedo the return in any deal involving the two pitchers.

That value drop is on display in Heyman's proposed return, as top prospect Owen Caissie and Matt Shaw are included in this mock trade. Caissie has great power upside and has slugged 19 homers this far in Triple-A, but his hit tools are far behind, striking out at a 30.2% clip. Caissie is an extremely high-risk player for that reason.

Shaw, on the other hand, has better hit tools, but not as much power. His strikeout rate of 19.4% has been impressive in his rookie season, but his 61 wRC+ has not been. He has been excellent in Triple-A this season, though, so the adjustment is really showing. He feels much more valuable than Caissie and would quickly replace Hayes in the lineup. This still should not persuade Pittsbrugh into a trade.

This mock deal just genuinely does not work well for either side. Losing Keller would hurt as is, but getting a prospect like Caissie that has a major red flag could really set this organization back. Hopefully Ben Cherington is not listening to Heyman right now.