The San Francisco Giants have been one of the most talked about teams in baseball this offseason.
San Francisco landed star shortstop Willy Adames this offseason on a massive deal, but lost two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. The Giants clearly need to add one more starter and have been tied to Corbin Burnes. But, if they were to miss out on the All-Star there are other players who could be an option.
The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee made a list of hypothetical trade targets and made an interesting suggestion for Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star Mitch Keller.
“Keller once appeared on the path to acedom, though,” Brisbee said. “After his first really strong season in 2022, he started off the 2023 season with a dramatically improved strikeout rate, which led to an All-Star nod. He struggled quite a bit in the second half of that season, though, which led the Pirates to give him a rare extension. They thought they were buying low with a five-year, $77 million deal, but it turns out they might have been closer to market price…
“It would be unfortunate to watch Joey Bart and Luciano in the middle of the Pirates’ order for the next decade, so maybe this is where the three-way trade possibilities would make more sense. Or maybe the Pirates would prefer cheaper, majors-ready arms like Hayden Birdsong, Mason Black or Landen Roupp. Who knows? One of them might be the next Mitch Keller someday.”
Keller is an intriguing player to watch for. He’s just 28 years old and has a career 4.59 ERA in six seasons. He hasn’t had an ERA below 4.00 in a season since 2022, but was an All-Star in 2023.
He may not be a big-name player, but if the Giants were to miss on Burnes, it could make sense to call Pittsburgh to see if Keller could be available.
More MLB: Giants listed as ‘best fit’ for Orioles $200 million former Cy Young
