Noah Hiles, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, says that the Jays are talking to the Pirates about Mitch Keller. He’s a 29-year-old, right-handed pitcher who is 3-10 with a 3.48 ERA in 20 starts this year. Too bad Pat Tabler isn’t around to tell us how important wins are for starting pitchers.
Keller’s averaging just short of six innings per start. Batters are hitting .237/.287/.357 against him. He’s signed through the 2028 season, making $16,911,500 next year, $18,4111,500 in 2027 and $20,411,500 in 2028.
Several other teams will likely be interested in him, so there is likely to be a bidding war. The Jays have a number of more or less major league-ready outfielders and a couple of good starting pitcher prospects who might interest the Pirates, as they try to work their way out of last in the NL Central.
The Jays could use a good starter for the stretch drive and for the next few seasons.
We are going to hear a lot of these rumours over the next week.