Red Sox
Across 22 starts this season, Keller is sporting a 3.69 ERA — striking out 100 batters over 127 innings of work.
With MLB’s trade deadline just a day away, the Red Sox continue to be linked to starting pitching reportedly out on the open market.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles, the Red Sox have reached out to the Pittsburgh Pirates to gauge the availability of right-handed starter Mitch Keller.
Keller may not be Paul Skenes, but the 29-year-old would stand as a strong pickup for a Red Sox team that needs to bolster its rotation ahead of the stretch run.
Keller’s record for a woeful Pittsburgh club is just 4-10, although that’s more an indictment on the Pirates’ listless offense than Keller’s production on the mound.
Across 22 starts this season, Keller is sporting a 3.69 ERA, striking out 100 batters over 127 innings of work.
“Multiple teams still remain interested, with the Yankees, Cubs, Mets and Red Sox all having reached out,” Hiles wrote. “The Pirates could also look to move Keller this offseason, a notion one source claims could give the club better odds of landing an established big-league hitter in return.”
Beyond Keller’s standing as a potential No. 2 arm and former All-Star (2023), he also would provide security in Boston’s rotation beyond this season. He is currently in the second year of a five-year contract worth $77 million — equating to a $15.4 million annual salary.
Even though both Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello have settled into a groove behind Garrett Crochet over the last few months, adding another starter like Keller would be a welcome sight for Alex Cora and the Red Sox.
Boston could use some stability beyond those three pitchers moving forward, especially given Walker Buehler’s inconsistent play and injuries that have hampered other starting options like Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, and Patrick Sandoval.
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