Trade deadline revelation could be hint to Pirates' offseason plans for Mitch Keller

The Pittsburgh Pirates were widely expected to be sellers at the trade deadline, but the team did not go nearly as far as most expected them to. Yes, they traded Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Reds and David Bednar, Bailey Falter, Taylor Rogers, and others did end up getting moved, but the Pirates' trade deadline was more notably defined by who they kept. That included controllable starter Mitch Keller.

While keeping guys who are pending free agents like Andrew Heaney and Tommy Pham was strange, given the Pirates' position, it was keeping Keller that stood out, especially given the lack of viable rotation options on the trade market this year. Keller would have come with team control through the 2028 season and, given his track record, Pittsburgh could have probably gotten a haul for him.

Ultimately, the Pirates didn't move Keller at the deadline, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a Keller trade isn't coming relatively soon.

According to Pirates beat writer Noah Hiles during a recent appearance, the team "most interested" in trading for Keller was the Orioles. After taking a closer look, it does seem like a deal this coming offseason could still be in the cards.

While a trade deadline move fell through, the Pirates trading Mitch Keller to the Orioles this coming offseason could be a perfect match

A certain amount of skepticism is warranted here because, if this trade pairing is so good, why didn't the two teams come to terms on a deal at the deadline when there was some urgency? However, the Orioles were essentially out of the playoff race already, which took some pressure off of them to make a move, and now that Keller has stayed put, the two teams revisiting negotiations during the offseason seems like a win-win proposition.

For the Pirates, they have high end pitching talent making their way through the minor leagues at the moment. With Keller's escalating salary in the last three years of his deal topping out at over $20 million for the 2028 season, getting him off their tight books has merit. Replacing his innings wouldn't be a gimme, but we are talking about a guy with a 4.08 ERA over the last four seasons combined here, not Paul Skenes.

As for the Orioles, they have loads of position player talent at multiple positions that they do not have room for on their big league roster, and have a dire need for controllable rotation help at the moment. Baltimore doesn't exactly love paying pitchers, so the Pirates may have to eat some of Keller's money to get the best return, but all the pieces are there for a deal to get done.

While there are a few blue chip starters that will be available as free agents after the season (Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez stand out here), they are going to be prohibitively expensive. Striking a trade could allow for the Pirates to capitalize on Keller's value while he is still young enough to be in demand, and the Orioles could get some stability in their rotation without breaking the bank too much. If the rumors are true that Baltimore wanted to add Keller the deadline, the Pirates would do well to pick up the phone and lay the groundwork for a deal for this offseason.

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