The Pittsburgh Pirates entered this season with high expectations after a promising 2024 campaign that saw Paul Skenes burst onto the scene as one of MLB’s most dominant and popular pitchers. But while Skenes has continued to shine, the team as a whole has taken a step back—and it may take a significant trade to change their trajectory after a decade-long playoff drought.
Despite having a formidable one-two punch in the rotation with Skenes and Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh’s offense has been abysmal, and it likely won’t improve without bold moves. That’s why trading Keller—despite his recent five-year contract extension—might be on the table.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Pirates are in a “different place” than they were a year ago, and dealing Keller is now “possible, if not likely.” He notes that the organization has a surplus of young pitching both in the majors and minors. Meanwhile, expected payroll increases haven’t materialized, partly due to declining attendance amid poor results. Offense remains a glaring issue, and Keller’s win-loss record (1-10) underlines that, even though his ERA+ is still above league average.
Rosenthal adds that only Skenes and longtime fan favorite Andrew McCutchen are considered untouchable by team officials. Keller’s contract, though team-friendly by market standards, still accounted for nearly 20% of the team’s Opening Day payroll, and his salary is set to rise each year through 2028.
Keller, who has spent his entire MLB career with the Pirates, holds a 37-60 career record, yet has kept his ERA under 4.25 for four straight seasons and has been relatively durable, starting at least 23 games annually since 2020.
Even though Pittsburgh matched its 2023 record (76-86), optimism was higher last year than it is now. The Pirates have one of the league’s worst records at 32-50 heading into their home series against the New York Mets—trailing only the Rockies and White Sox. Meanwhile, Skenes continues to dominate the league, leading in ERA (2.12), ERA+ (198), WHIP (0.906), hits allowed per nine innings (5.7), and home runs allowed per nine (0.4). Despite those numbers, he’s just 4-7 in 17 starts.