Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Ace Mitch Keller to Massive Long-Term Contract Extension
The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller to a long-term contract extension, ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel reported Thursday morning.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand later added that Keller's deal was going to be worth $77 million over five years. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey added that the contract was still pending a physical.
Keller is fresh off making his first All-Star Game in 2023. He was the Pirates' Opening Day starter last March, and the 27-year-old has been rewarded that distinction again in 2024.
Pittsburgh and Keller avoided arbitration earlier this offseason, coming to terms on a $5.4 million salary for 2024. Keller had one year of arbitration eligibility remaining, meaning he was on track to hit free agency after 2025 before signing his extension.
The Pirates drafted Keller in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He made his big league debut in 2019, at which point he was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Pittsburgh's farm system and the No. 19 prospect in all of baseball.
Keller had shaky 2019 and 2021 campaigns, but thrived in 2020 with a 2.91 ERA across five starts. He may have gone 5-12 in 2022, but he still managed to maintain a 3.91 ERA in 31 appearances.
Heading into the 2023 All-Star break, Keller was 9-4 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.120 WHIP, .221 batting average against and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Keller stumbled a bit down the stretch, though, ending the season 13-9 with a 4.21 ERA, 1.245 WHIP, .245 batting average against and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
For his career, Keller is 25-38 with a 4.71 ERA, 1.449 WHIP, 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.1 WAR – 2.9 of which came in 2023.
This marks the third offseason in a row that Pittsburgh has locked up one of its top young players for the foreseeable future.
In 2022, the Pirates signed third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to an eight-year, $70 million contract. In 2023, they secured outfielder Bryan Reynolds with an eight-year, $107 million deal.
Now, with Keller extended as well, Pittsburgh has continued to fortify its core as it tries to snap an eight-year postseason drought.
Hayes, Reynolds and Keller's contracts are the three richest in Pirates franchise history.
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