Pirates Rumors: Cubs reportedly pushing for two of Pittsburgh's top trade chips

The MLB Trade Deadline is not too far away, and the rumors are already swirling. The Pirates are one of six teams that are looking to sell at this stage in the season, and the reports of negotiations are beginning.

While most expect Pittsburgh to sell rentals, they could certainly be tempted into exploring more lucrative deals. Mitch Keller and David Bednar have recently joined the list of available trade pieces (or, at least, the list of players the Pirates are listening on), and it seems a division rival may have designs on acquiring both of them; the Chicago Cubs have reportedly shown interest in both of the former All-Stars. Bob Nightengale of USA Today connected both players with Chicago on Wednesday, describing them as players the "Cubs would love to get their hands on."

Additionally, Bruce Levine, a Cubs radio host and contributor to the Marquee Sports Network, more specifically confirmed that the Pirates and Cubs had recent talks regarding Keller. A deal will be exceedingly difficult, given the rivalry aspects involved and the fact that almost the entire league still believes they're in the Wild Card chase. Still ... Chicago's asking.

Pirates linked with Cubs regarding Mitch Keller, David Bednar trades

Bednar is having an incredible resurgence of a season. After being optioned to Triple-A in April, the Pirates' closer completely turned things around and is one of the top high-leverage relievers on the market. On the season, Bednar has posted a 2.93 ERA with a 2.18 FIP and a 12.69 K/9 across 27.2 innings.

Keller is also having a decent season. He has pitched slightly above the league average in terms of ERA, sporting a 4.02 mark that may have room for embedded improvement, given his solid FIP of 3.25. Even while his K/9 is down to 6.99, he is still effectively getting outs, and has the second-most quality starts in baseball with 11. Keller's value comes from his dependability. He has thrown 30+ starts for three straight seasons and is on pace to do so again in 2025.

A trade for either of these players alone would likely consist of a package including a top-10 prospect in the Cubs' organization. If they were to include both pitchers in one package, Pittsburgh may be able to land a player of the caliber of Kevin Alcantara, MLB Pipeline's third-ranked Cubs prospect. They should be targeting hitters close to the big leagues, and Alcantara is close to a promotion from Triple-A.

Other prospects to keep an eye out for in a package like this are Jonathan Long (MLB Pipeline's No. 11), Jack Neely (No. 14), and Christian Franklin (No. 25). Additionally, Long and Franklin are Triple-A hitters, while Neely is a reliever with two highly graded pitches.

Trading either of these players would open up room for the Pirates to spend in free agency. Keller is being paid $15 million this season, a mark that progressively increases each season moving forward, reaching $20 million in 2028. Bednar is being paid a little under $6 million and will likely push for around $8 million next season.

A trade involving these players could really shake up the organization. It could also put a lot of pressure on this strong wave of pitching prospects, but to get offense in the building, such a deal would be worth it. Maybe this could get Ben Cherington to sign a free agent to a multi-year contract for the first time with the Pirates. There are a lot of interesting routes that this could lead to, which could make or break Cherington's future in Pittsburgh.