Blue Jays Have Reportedly Contacted Pirates About Deadline Mitch Keller Trade

The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the hottest teams in baseball and remain firmly on top of the American League East after widening the gap over the New York Yankees on Monday night.

In a year where no true contender is separating themselves from the pack, there is no reason to think this Blue Jays team can't win right now if they stay hot and put themselves in the best possible position.

The upcoming trade deadline now less than 10 days away is the last real opportunity to do just that, and according to the latest reporting, Toronto is trying to make a move for a starting pitcher.

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According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (subscription required), the Blue Jays are "among" the teams who have been in contact with the Pittsburgh Pirates about 29-year-old right-hander Mitch Keller.

If the Blue Jays want to actually acquire him though, they are going to have to beat out some heavy hitters as other teams mentioned included the Yankees, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs.

With Keller specifically, there are numerous advantages there towards trading for him rather than someone else who may be on the market. The most important of which is the fact that he is currently enjoying the best season of his career with an ERA of 3.48 and WHIP of 1.143 over his 20 starts.

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Keller does not overwhelm with swing and miss stuff, but he is a borderline elite pitch-to-contact type and someone Toronto would know they can rely upon to give them quality starts down the stretch, hopefully well into October.

The second huge advantage to Keller is the fact that he is still under team control for the foreseeable future at a reasonable figure for the kind of pitcher he has been this year.

In just the second year of a five-year, $77 million contract, Keller is set to make an average of roughly $18 million per year from 2026-2028, a small price to pay in today's game for a stud pitcher.

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As a result, Keller will not be had for a small price, however this is negated by the fact of it being a move both for right now and the future.

If the Blue Jays are willing to try to beat out some of the more aggressive deadline rivals for the services of Keller and make a deal with Pittsburgh, he could be the final piece they need to claim their first American League pennant in over three decades.

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