As the Red Sox seek to bolster their rotation, they’ve reportedly gotten on the phone with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Boston has inquired about right-handed starter Mitch Keller, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles. The 29-year-old has posted a 3.69 ERA in 22 starts this season, but is 4-10 pitching for a Pittsburgh team that sits dead last in runs scored.
“Multiple teams still remain interested, with the Yankees, Cubs, Mets and Red Sox all having reached out,” Hiles writes. “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.”
Keller is in the second season of a five-year, $77 million deal, so he’s under team control through 2028 with a luxury tax hit of $15.4 million per season.
An All-Star in 2023, Keller has spent his entire seven-year career in Pittsburgh, going 40-60 with a 4.45 ERA and 1.381 WHIP. His most utilized pitch is a four-seam fastball, which has averaged 94 mph this season, while he also mixes in a sweeper, slider, two-seamer, curveball and changeup.
Keller’s 3.69 ERA would rank the third best in Boston’s rotation this year, trailing just Garrett Crochet (2.23) and Brayan Bello (3.32). Boston’s rotational depth has been tested, as Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, and Patrick Sandoval have all landed on the injured list.
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