Padres Linked to $77 Million Starting Pitcher Likely to Be Traded

The San Diego Padres have been named as a potential landing spot for Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller, per CBS Sports’ RJ Anderson.

The Pirates signed Keller to a five-year, $77 million contract extension in February. He has spent all seven seasons of his career with Pittsburgh after the organization drafted him as the No. 64 overall pick in the second round in 2014.

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Right-hander Paul Skenes – the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year – is certainly the Pirates’ ace. But Keller is another one of Pittsburgh’s best starters, as he posts a 3.64 ERA and 84 strikeouts through 18 starts.

Anderson said he is unsure if the Pirates would be willing to trade Keller, but could be open to a deal that would help them acquire stronger batters. Pittsburgh is tied with the Kansas City Royals for the least number of home runs (61) and second-to-last in OPS (.651) as a whole in MLB.

Keller has made at least 29 starts in the last four seasons and is on track to meet that mark again. The Pirates have not made the postseason since 2015 when they lost the NL Wild Card to the Chicago Cubs, so Keller has never pitched in the postseason.

The 29-year-old earned his first All-Star selection in 2023 when he logged a 4.21 ERA and posted career-highs with 210 strikeouts and 32 starts. Keller won the Minnesota Twins’ Dick Siebert Upper Midwest Player of the Year Award that same season.

The Padres currently have four starting pitchers on the injured list. Right-hander Joe Musgrove is out for the entire season, and right-hander Michael King will not return until at least August or September.

There is hope for right-handers Yu Darvish and Ryan Bergert to return from the IL sometime this month. Darvish has yet to take the mound for San Diego but will likely make a big impact once he is fully recovered from his elbow injury.

Without the four pitchers, the Padres have been relying on a four-man rotation, consisting of right-handers Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Stephen Kolek and Randy Vásquez.

Cease has been involved in trade rumors for quite some time and could be departing from the Padres by the deadline, which would open a spot in the rotation for Keller.

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