If the Pittsburgh Pirates indeed move on from Mitch Keller, there will be a few factors to consider.

For one, it’s always nice if a team can help a player out by sending him to a good squad. Keller deserves that after some brutal years in Pittsburgh.

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However, the reality is that Pittsburgh has to ensure it gets the best return for its future. If that means sending Keller to one of the worst teams in baseball, then so be it, if the package is there.

That said, there’s also a side that suggests they can get the package they want and still send Keller to a team that’s somewhat respectable.

ESPN was the latest to suggest that, proposing a deal that would send Keller to the San Francisco Giants.

“The Giants churned through 15 starting pitchers in 2025 and return only three who made more than 10 starts (Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp), leaving two slots to fill aside from the depth that is required in this era. Hayden Birdsong and Carson Whisenhunt are the top internal candidates, but adding a veteran starter for stability looks like an offseason necessity.

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“Keller is signed for three more years at an AAV of about $18.5 million. His biggest strength has been durability and consistency, making at least 29 starts four seasons in a row and averaging 183 innings and 2.1 WAR the past three seasons. His strikeout rate has declined from 25.5% to 20.0% since 2023, so that’s a minor cause for concern, but moving to the Giants, with better defense behind him and a stellar catcher in Patrick Bailey should help lower his batting average allowed,” Davis Schoenfield wrote.

Rumors have suggested that the Giants are very interested in pairing Logan Webb with another high-end starter. It’s tough to say that Keller is truly a high-end starter, but he’s definitely good enough to be a No. 3 or No. 4 in a rotation.

And in the current Giants staff, he might even be a bit higher.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next few days to weeks, but it feels like there’s some real noise about Keller being traded in the near future.