With Sonny Gray reportedly being traded to Boston in exchange for two pitchers, it brings up the topic of whether or not the Red Sox still line up as a realistic trade partner with the Pirates for Mitch Keller. 

Gray joins a group of starters that includes Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Connelly Early, Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford. Gray is 36 years old and still can provide value after a season in which he compiled a 14-8 record with a 4.28 ERA and 201 strikeouts over 180 2/3 innings and 32 starts. 

Given the fact that they only had to unload Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts in the Gray deal, it could still make some sense for the Sox to acquire another dependable arm like Keller by dealing from their outfield depth. They have the proven assets in Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu to make something happen that could help both sides. The Red Sox would get another right-handed arm — Crochet, Early and Sandoval are all lefties — to further lengthen their rotation depth and the Pirates would acquire a legitimate proven bat to slot into their lineup. 

Now, the Pirates don’t need to force a deal. Trading Keller should only happen for the right price, as was the case ahead of this year’s trade deadline. But if this Gray acquisition does take the Red Sox out of the running, the Pirates would obviously need to look elsewhere to teams looking for pitching — like the Athletics or Orioles — to potentially find a deal that lines up with what they need for a pitcher of Keller’s value.Â