The Pirates already moved one big league pitcher this week, sending righty Luis Ortiz to the Guardians in a trade to acquire new first baseman Spencer Horwitz, but Pittsburgh’s pitching depth could be sufficient enough to set the stage for another deal. Noah Hiles and Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report that the Bucs have also been willing to talk about right-hander Mitch Keller, whom they signed to an extension just this past spring. Righty Jared Jones was even someone on whom the Pirates were at least willing to listen, per the report, though it’s not clear whether the trade of Ortiz has reduced their willingness to talk about other controllable, pre-arbitration arms.
Trading either right-hander would be somewhat surprising, albeit to differing degrees. Any player who signs a notable contract in Pittsburgh is going to eventually come up in trade rumblings as the salaries escalate. Still, moving Keller fewer than 12 months after signing him to an extension that promised him just over $71MM in new money from 2025-28, would be unexpected. He’s owed $15MM in 2025, $16.5MM in 2026, $18MM in 2027 and $20MM in 2028 — a total of $69.5MM over the next four seasons.
Keller, 29 in March, has posted similar bottom-line results in each of the past two seasons: a 4.21 ERA in 32 starts during the 2023 campaign and a 4.25 ERA in 31 starts in 2024. He posted strong, nearly identical walk rates between the two seasons (6.7% in ’23, 6.5% in ’24) and had the exact same 1.16 HR/9 mark in each year.
However, Keller lost four percentage points off his strikeout rate from 2023 (25.5%) to 2024 (21.5%), while his average four-seamer dropped by 0.8 mph and his sinker lost about a half mile per hour. He allowed more balls in the air, more hard contact and more overall contact in 2024 — particularly within the strike zone. Fielding-independent metrics were more bullish on his 2023 work (3.80 FIP, 3.83 SIERA) than on his 2024 efforts (4.08 from both FIP and SIERA).
Regardless, Keller is a quality arm with enough velocity, prospect pedigree, track record and (perhaps most importantly) affordability to draw considerable interest on the market. Even if the Bucs weren’t necessarily interested in trading him at the outset of the offseason, the soaring prices of free-agent pitching have suddenly made Keller look like even more of a bargain. Consider that 37-year-old Alex Cobb secured a $15MM guarantee coming off a season in which he made three starts or that Frankie Montas, 32 in March, commanded a $17MM annual value (with an opt-out) after a 4.84 ERA with a similar strikeout rate and worse command in fewer innings — and Keller’s contract looks quite appealing.
The Pirates don’t necessarily need to shop Keller, but there’s no getting around the reality that a $15MM salary for him this season — and the escalating numbers in subsequent seasons — is a sizable number for Pittsburgh in a way that isn’t true in other markets. Hiles and Destin suggest that any trade from the big league rotation would be made with an eye toward both adding a major league bat to a lackluster lineup. In Keller’s case, it’d also free up money to pursue help at other areas of need. Corner outfield, second base and the bullpen are among the areas that come to mind.
A trade of the 23-year-old Jones would register as something of a stunner. The former second-round pick entered the 2024 season lauded as one of the game’s best prospects and quickly established himself as a viable big league arm while demonstrating star upside. Jones averaged a blazing 97.3 mph on his four-seamer, fanned 26.2% of his opponents against a tidy 7.7% walk rate and pitched 121 2/3 innings of 4.14 ERA ball. His huge 14.1% swinging-strike rate showed clear potential for even more strikeouts.
Jones missed about seven weeks with a lat strain and showed signs of rust in his return late in the year. Prior to landing on the injured list, he’d pitched 91 innings of 3.56 ERA ball with strikeout and walk rates right in line with his season-long rates. He was more prone to homers and walks in his relatively brief September return than he’d been prior to the injury, suggesting his command was lacking — not a huge surprise for a young pitcher simultaneously returning from an injury and establishing a new career-high number of innings (when combining his big league total with his 11 rehab frames).
Moving Jones would require a seismic return. He’s a 23-year-old with five seasons of club control, elite velocity, plus bat-missing abilities, strong command and some big league success already under his belt. One would imagine the Pirates would only even entertain the notion if presented with hitter of similar upside and club control. Even then, given the rarity of starters with this upside, the Bucs might seek additional prospects on top of any young hitter(s) they’d target. If Jones were truly available, he would likely be the most coveted arm on the entire starting pitching market — and rightly so.
General manager Ben Cherington told Hiles and Destin Wednesday (after the Ortiz trade) that he could “in theory” move another arm from his rotation but cautioned against dipping to far into his cache of arms. The Pirates have Paul Skenes, Keller, Jones, Baily Falter and Johan Oviedo as current starters with some big league success under their belts, plus an enviable line of well-regarded prospects behind them. Mike Burrows and Braxton Ashcraft are both on the 40-man roster, while prospects Thomas Harrington and Bubba Chandler are close to the majors. Chandler, in particular, is regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in the game (as Jones and Skenes were an offseason ago). He ranked 15th, 19th and 21st on the most recent top-100 prospect rankings from MLB.com, FanGraphs and Baseball America, respectively.
Readers (Pirates fans, in particular) will want to check out the entire piece from Destin and Hiles, as the portion on starting pitching is just one of several Winter Meetings topics the report explores. The Post-Gazette duo also touches on Jack Suwinski’s offseason efforts to put an ugly 2024 season behind him, injured righty Hunter Stratton’s rehab, and some potential news on the coaching front.
They could get a lot for Keller
Would probably take a lot to get Keller from the Bucs at the moment.
it didn’t take much for the Guardians to get Ortiz
Keller is better than Ortiz.
Ortiz is an overrated 4 with some intangibles
He was not overrated before this trade , funny how that works..
Who did you think they were getting to play first? Or hoping for?
The Pirates got the best of the Ortiz deal.
Horwitz was fifth (5th) in OPS among the 43 MLB first-basemen with at least 300 plate appearances last year.
Horwitz: .790
Pete Alonso .788
Josh Naylor .776
Luis Ortiz was 82nd of 126 in FIP among MLB pitchers who had at least 100 innings pitched.
Horowitz didn’t play in every game and Ortiz wasn’t a starter all year
Ortiz was worse as a starter than as a reliever.
Reliever: 3.68 FIP.
Starter: 4.57 FIP.
Horwitz had 382 plate appearances last season and a 1.9 WAR. Ortiz had a 1.0 WAR in 135 innings pitched.
Fangraphs projects a .784 OPS and 2.1 WAR for Horwitz in 2025.
They project a 4.56 FIP and 0.8 WAR for Ortiz in 2025.
knowing how Cherington just got fleeced in trading Ortiz, this idea is more of a payroll dump than wanting to improve the offense
Heaven forbid if Nutting would have to increase payroll to be competitive
They didn’t get fleeced. They got a very good middle of the order bat at a position where they had nothing, in exchange for a decent swing man and some disposable prospects.
Right?! If Horwitz keeps pace with his production last year he’s a top 3 hitter on the Pittsburgh roster lol. Sounds fine for their third or 4th best SP with peripherals that suggest he won’t keep it up + two lotto ticket pitching prospects with some upside.
Ortiz is better than a decent swing man, he’s a solid #4 starter
Cherington got fleeced
A 4th starter for Horwitz who has now hit at Triple A and the majors is a good deal. Not a fleeceing in the least.
Pittsburgh needs all the help they can get offensively. It was a smart trade.
4.28 xERA 4.25 FIP 4.59 xFIP and 7k/9. Cleveland better get ready for a 4+ ERA 4th starter.
Did they really get fleeced for Ortiz though? Yes he has some solid numbers but half of his appearances came out of the bullpen. Horwitz was solid, so it’s not like they got a lotto ticket in return and First Base has been a revolving door for the Pirates since Josh Bell left. Maybe Horwitz can be the answer for the next 5 years
Pirate payroll is low because Pittsburgh is now, and always has been, a bad market for baseball – even when the team was one of the best in baseball.
In 2015, when the Pirates made the post-season for the third straight year and had the second best record in baseball, their attendance was 9th in the 15 team National League.
When the Pirates won their division for the third straight year in 1992, they were unable to sell out playoff games.
Throughout the 1970s the Pirates were one of the very best teams in baseball, and their attendance was abysmal.
That’s why there are no billionaires lining up to make Bob Nutting an offer for the Pirates that would be too good for him to turn down. Pittsburgh is a bad market for baseball.
you forgot to mention that PNC Park only holds 38000 people; and during their last 3 playoff seasons they broke the record for most fans in a season twice
Comparing league average with small market teams is a precarious position to take
Knowing BC he will flip him to the Mets for Marte
Only way you trade Keller is if you are getting a MLB ready arm in the package.
Agreed TJ
I don’t feel like doing research on a hypothetical,
BUT
If they would trade kellers longevity for a short-term vet whos more established like Cease or Alcantara
Might be worth it?
They need to chill.
The current roster is a closer away from a playoff berth
Skenes
Jones
Keller
Oviedo
Falter
Is one of the best rotations in the bigs
I wouldn’t say that, skenes and Jones are really the only good ones.
maybe keller
I wouldn’t say its one of the best, but it is pretty good.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN MAYBE KELLER ?@?@?
YOU DONT THINK KELLER IS GOOD GTFO
Keller was an average major league starting pitcher last year.
No offense, but they have no offense. Their best position player last year was Bryan Reynolds, who was a little better than league average and is 30 years old. They had the right idea in the Ortiz trade, where they acquired their current best hitter. Keep going. You need to score runs to win.
claiming that Horowitz is their current best hitter without him even swinging a bat in a Pirates uniform is pushing it
I think that he’s referring to the trade where they acquired their best hitter…Reynolds, through the trade market.
Pirate fans moaned about the trade that brought Reynolds to Pittsburgh, too.
We fans have experienced the type of trades and signings that have allowed us to complain.
Until you’ve walked a mile in our shoes for the last 45 years, you have no idea what you’re talking about
That’s not necessarily true. The pieces are there. If Ke’Bryan Hayes could ever stay healthy and Suwinski returns to 2023 form with Reynolds, Cruz, Horwitz and McCutchen is still serviceable the offense would be better
and if pigs could fly
This team has too many holes to fill to expect anything more than a .500 season next year
Huh? They need a RF and a 1b. And both have to be good hitters. The pen should snap back as pens often do and the battery is solid.
Ke Hayes has no gel in one of his discs in his back. Dude’s career is hanging by a thread.
They’re a lot closer than people think, especially in the NL Central.
One of the biggest problems with their offense IMO is having hitters in spots in the lineup where they don’t belong.
Yes they definitely don’t have the offense and need to add a few more quality bats but they need to add to lineup spots as well. Tired of seeing Cruz as lead off or Hayes batting middle of the lineup. Even IKF would be better served as a 2 hitter instead of lead off
last year’s offense lacked the basic fundamentals of playing baseball:
A team starving for run production needs to know how to bunt, make contact with the ball.
As a team they broke the franchise all time strikeout record with over 1500.
I agree with you seam,
But top-to-bottom pirates lineup has some ok guys 1-9 at least, when you factor in Cruz , IKF , Nicky G , Reynolds, McCutchen, KeBryan Hayes , Bart
They’re the kind of team that’s a flashy vet pickup away from making a real run.
But I wouldn’t trade Keller unless they’re getting another starter like Cease or Alcantara
Kellers contract and age make him pretty valuable in a trade
They need a RF and a SS, a closer and a LHRP if they want to sniff the playoffs.
Skenes absolutely should not sign an extension with them. Do your 6 years and get out.
they won’t offer him an extension, they won’t spend that kind of money to keep him
They’ll offer some low ball nonsense to say they tried. He will say no and they’ll trade him in year 4 or 5.
Nutting has previously given long-term contract extensions to Keller, Reynolds, Ke;Bryan Hayes, Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, Josh Harrison, and Jose Tabata.
None of those guys commanded the salary that Skenes likely will, who is a Gerrit Cole-esque player.
They wouldn’t sign him anyhow. Hes the perfect piece for them to flip late in arbitration for a huge haul to restock
when they trade Skenes it will be for a combination of prospects and major league ready talent with at least 4 years of control
Restock for what? To produce the next set of players to trade for a haul to restock?
yes, that’s the basic function of this franchise.
Rebuilding is their MO
They do have one of the better rotations.
Seems odd that now that they put it together, they want to trade these people well before their shelf life is gone.
They have killer top 3. It sounds like they have some studs knocking on the door too. I think it’s insane to break that staff up for a bat. Pittsburgh should be all in these next 2-3 years. Go spend some money!
They could use Doval.
they have enough .190 hitters
Maybe Boston will trade Mayer for him
For whom. For Jones, maybe. For Keller, no. For Chandler, yes.
@joe
Chandler would be a good fit for Boston.
I think he’ll be a mid 3’s ERA guy that averages 170-200 k’s a season in his prime.
Cherington isn’t exactly the brightest GM in baseball but he’s not going to trade any of the pitchers at Indy.
He relishes players who have 5 years of control at a lower salary
Maybe TEX? I would love to see another younger, improved Jerry Jones in Dallas-Ft Worth.
Never, ever underestimate the capacity of Nutting and the Pirates to cut payroll.
Not sure he’s really worth all that much… those ERA’s are cause for pause.
he’s an innings eater who strikes out a lot of batters and led the league last year with the best swing and miss percentage
He’s also only 29 years old
Put him in front of Baltimore’s defense and see what happens to that ERA
Not really. His overall career numbers show he averages just over one earned run every two innings. The Homer’s allowed aren’t terrible and the only somewhat pausing stat is the hit batsman which he was 4th in MLB last season, and even that’s expected for a guy who strikesout a lot of hitters
What am I missing? Keller isn’t very good. Mid 4’s to low 4’s ERA.
1987 called. It wants it stats back.
The 90s called. It wants its “fill in the blank” called and wants its “fill in the blank” back saying back.
@ cws
I hope you have a great day!
Just messing with you b/c the saying is as old as what you critiqued of the poster about a stat he cited. No worries
If you don’t like ERA, then you should suggest an alternative stat to judge him by. His FIP over the past two years is only slightly better than his ERA, so that slightly better than league average.
But more importantly, several of his stats (FIP, OPS, velocity, EV, GB/FB) all too a dive.
ERA isnt everything.
ERA is still important. No sense in diminishing runs allowed by pitchers. FIP and xFIP support his ERA is representative. He’s someone who will consistently average giving up 4 runs per 9 inn.
Then explain why you think he is better than mediocre.
Joe;
Starting pitchers are dropping like fly’s to injuries. If he stays healthy he’s an experienced ML pitcher and an asset.
Keller is not mediocre. He can eat some innings the same way, say, Ben Lively did for Cleveland in 2024.
Pirates fans like him. But while respected am not so sure that he’s held in particularly high regard around MLB. This offseason he might be a nice get for a team like the Mets; but if moved it would be best in-season when a contender has a starting pitcher go down….and Mr. Keller is pitching OK.
Pirates have a terrible defense. Look at his FIP and xFIP. Keller’s a solid #2 or 3 SP for a lot of clubs particularly those who have quality defenders behind their SPs.
I’m not really sure why the pirates would put this in the universe. At some point you have to stop rebuilding and go for it
The Pirates are another organization with a notoriously cheap ownership that can actually basically afford the team they field and the contract extensions they sign their players to, but whenever those don’t result in playoff runs or sustained playoff appearances, they throw in the towel and want to blow up the most expensive pieces and start again- taking the same approach, hoping for the desired results they never quite achieve, by selling high and acquiring currently prospects that they will go out of their way to make expensive-ish before they actually manage to put together a full squad that can go the distance- so they blow the team up, collect prospects, etc.
rebuilding is a cornerstone of this franchise ever since Nutting bought the organization
Actually it goes back another two ownership groups
It didn’t come from the Pirates. They are bad enough at PR, they don’t any help. It’s nothing more than a another jab at the Pirates from another team’s source.
The Os have to at least see what it would take right? They easily have the pieces to get Keller.
If Buehler gets out of Detroit’s price range, I could see Keller being another option for Chris Fetter to work with and eat up some big innings, especially in a friendly ballpark.
Pirates have a better than decent rotation, headlined by skenes, but let’s not talk about this group like it’s the 90s Braves pitchers.
I don’t know how much they’d really get in return for these starters being talked about.
Ownership needs to open up their pockets and sign some decent offensive talent.
it’s never been in the DNA of this franchise to open up the pockets and spend any amount of money to improve the team.
They sign free agents in the $2-4 million dollar range and are usually throw aways that offer teams don’t want
They’ll regret it after seeing Skenes sophomore slump. Dude isn’t a pitcher. He’s a thrower. The league will figure him out before his impending TJ
Dude, you’re hardly a professional baseball analyst but thanks for your input
Have you watched him
What channel is he on?
He’s legit and fun to watch don’t let your jealousy get the best of you
So is the UPS driver in my neighborhood
He’s a thrower? Such a ridiculous comment. Just cause he throws over a 100mph doesn’t mean he’s just a thrower. Jeez
He won’t be throwing over a 100 much longer. All that torque will catch up to him and he doesn’t have the skill set to adjust post TJ
Alex Stumpf on the NS9 podcast seemed to downplay the rumor, Hope the Pirates keep both, unless it’s for something crazy.
It makes sense to trade Keller for a cost controlled bat maybe 2.
Keller is similar to Flarriety
I would also think they use the 22 million they spent on Taylor Perez and Champen on another hitter
Call the Pirates cheap all you want, but it’s still not really their M.O. to trade a guy they just extended with so much control left either. Parts of their last decent core they extended, like Cutch, Harrisn, Polanco, Cervelli, each either played out their contract or were traded/let go in the last year of their extension. Only one I can really think of who was traded with more than one season left after being extended within the last 10 years or so is Starling Marte.
Not sure its being cheap it relocating assets. They need hitting and can trade Keller for it.
Interesting quandary for a pitcher being offered a sizable but below-intrinsic-value extension from a lower revenue team. Do you take it, locking in life-changing (if not full value) money, or gamble on yourself? Especially when you know your signing team could flip you because your contract is under-valued?
With all the snow, Skenes excellent in New England.
Keller to the Mets for Gilbert, Mauricio, Baty and Marte( Mets pay significant portion of contract).
The Mets would have to pay all of Marte’s contract
The Bucs want to cut payroll not add to it
I think they would still have to pay the league min and the Mets would do that. I don’t know if they are necessarily trying to reduce payroll. They just want offense and trading a starter is the only way they think they can do it without adding salary.
if trading a starter for an offensive player was their only goal, then why not trade one of the younger pitchers who only earns the major league minimum?
Well I think they are trying to trade Jones more. I think they are seeing what brings back the most value. I wouldn’t trade either if I was the Pirates but as a Mets fan I definitely would take either.
When will we start hearing that Skenes is available? I hope for the Pirates’ sake that the return for Skenes is better than the Gerrit Cole trade, but I doubt it. It’s a sad state of affairs that the Pirates are the dumpster fire of North American professional sports.
Keller is maybe a 3 on a contender.
And you see how much cash a #3 on a contender is commanding?
Now compare that to Keller and it increases his value
Hopefully they don’t trade Keller.
Bucs don’t have a great track record for keeping players around. This guy has been a Pirate his whole career and done nothing but take the ball and give them good bulk innings. They need offense but shouldn’t trade a stalwart like this dude.
But if they do trade him I hope the Giants swoop in.
I went to a Skenes start in August and the place was packed. If you build it, they will come. Ownership needs to do the thing or get off the pot. That city deserves it.
Orioles have to make a phone call at least. They have the prospects.
Folks in Baltimore are talking about trading for Jones, and personally I’m happy to just back up the truck and let Pittsburgh have whatever they want.
Mayo and a bunch of top-10 prospects should do it…hopefully
Pirates must be trying to lose. Got it!
Reynolds is a good hitter, but can’t carry a lineup by himself. Joey Bart looks legit, but also won’t carry a lineup. Horwitz appears to be solid too. Everyone else is a huge question mark, and probably the only guy with the upside to provide elite production is Cruz…and it really hasn’t been there for him yet. 2.5 WAR and 113 OPS+. This lineup is crying out for a top tier hitter though.
whoever makes the best offer of a major league ready outfielder who has 5 years of control before free agency will get Keller
That’s what they are looking for
I hope the Pirates keep Keller. This franchise has the talent, the city and fanbase deserve a winning product on the field.
After Kevin McClatchey bought the franchise, he said that if a new stadium could be constructed, the Pirates would be competitive in 5 years
So the taxpayers funded the construction of PNC Park and the fans had to wait 13 years for the Pirates to be competitive
Here it’s been 9 years since they last made the playoffs and the owner wants to dump salaries again
It’s a never ending cycle with this franchise
The Pirates are nuts to even discuss moving Jones. (And to that end, every team should be calling about him…5 years of control on an arm that just came back from TJ? Fee comparables I can think of).
Keller makes more sense, but returns less, and is still odd.
Jared Jones to SD for Jackson Merrill??
Jones didn’t have TJ surgery, Oviedo did
Ah, good catch, my b, miss-read article. Good on ya’
One of the worst hof players. Dave parker
yeah, his 2 batting titles, 3 Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Slugger awards, 1978 MVP, 1979 All Star MVP, 2 World Series Championships, 339 Homers, over 1400 RBI says differently
1995 called. ^^
Sure have another hit
ok homer
Ok hater
Ah yes. A hater of the 50 HOFers who don’t deserve it. All advance stats say he doesn’t deserve it. It is funny when people are biased towards a person just because they played for a corporation in their city
I think the O’s should be in on Jones to a greater extent than Keller. Higher upside but Keller does come with more salary control.
It’s articles like the one Pittsburgh Post Gazette put out that keeps the Pirates the laughing stock of baseball. Of course they are listening. That doesn’t mean either is going anywhere unless a team offers a huge overpay for MLB talent. This isn’t a salary dump. You trade Keller and his $15Mish salary and you go get a power hitter and/or bullpen help for 2025 and beyond. This is a non-story from comments made outside of the Pirates organization.
apparently you don’t know how this team operates
It’s a salary dump
I follow the Pirates every closely. Noah Hiles stated last evening this was overblown by the fans. Nutting is cheap. We get it. You trade Keller if and only if the return is for MLB talent. Save on Keller to spend elsewhere. Again, this didn’t come from the Pirates.
If they would just spend an extra $30 million in player payroll they could keep him and fill some holes. The Pirates payroll should be in the $120-$130 million range imo every year
I thought they were through the “rebuilding” phase of the roster construction. Did they try to contend for one year and are back to starting over? Sure hope not. As a fan, I really can’t take this anymore.
The payroll is at about 65 million right now. They could bring Santana and Cutch back, sign a quality right fielder like Randel Grichuk and still be under 90 million
Bob Nutting needs to sell! MLB needs to get involved!
The Pirates are just exploiting the inflated pitching market by presenting Mitch Keller as a cost-effective alternative to high-priced free agents. Keller is a below league average pitcher so not worth considering for too many teams.
Keller is not a below average pitcher, he is a young solid average pitcher. There is a market for him. The Ortiz and prospects for Horwitz deal seemed even and I like it for Pirates who have an above average starting pitching and a well below average lineup for batting.
While Keller may be considered an ‘average pitcher’ by some, the metrics suggest he’s at best slightly above average and closer to below average in key areas that matter in today’s pitching market. His 4.25 ERA in 2024 and declining strikeout rate (21.5%, down from 25.5% in 2023) reflect a pitcher trending in the wrong direction. Additionally, his velocity has dropped year-over-year, which raises concerns about sustainability as he ages.
Calling the Ortiz-Horwitz deal ‘even’ also oversimplifies the evaluation. Horwitz is a league-average bat with limited defensive flexibility, filling a short-term need rather than addressing systemic lineup weaknesses. Trading Keller—an asset with four years of team control—for a similarly ‘average’ hitter would further fail to address the Pirates’ need for upside or foundational improvements to their batting core.
The Pirates’ pitching depth does mitigate the impact of losing Keller, but this market strategy isn’t about ‘liking’ trades—it’s about extracting maximum value from assets, which includes recognizing Keller’s trending vulnerabilities and capitalizing before his value diminishes.
Not sure if the Yanks would be able to match up on a trade for him but I would love to add Keller. Dude is so consistent.
Makes him one of my favorites to bet on too, he always seems to be undervalued by the sportsbooks.
Trading Keller is absolutely a possibility. Bob would love to get $15M off the books for 2025 and $69.5M total remaining due Keller. BC may not like it, but if Bob nudges him, consider it done.
Why sign him if they are interested in trading him? Not every prospect is Paul Skenes or Jared Jones. Have to spend money somewhere. Do not let a GM who really shouldn’t be here ruin this team on his way out. I know his ERA isn’t amazing but he knows how to pitch and gives them reliable innings and is a super bargain when you look around the league.
Mitch has an 15.4 million a year average salary through 2028. xera of low 4s the last three years. Projected for 182 IP this year. That has a lot of surplus value in today’s pitching market. They ought to be be able to get done good prospect value.
Mitch Keller will be the first domino to fall then Jones then in 3-4 years Skenes.
I guess it makes sense but at the same time you have to add to the team and not with prospects. They have money and need at least a 2nd basemen, resign Cutch and sign or trade for a quality right fielder.
Only way to make this deal is if you get a quality package and off load Hayes as well.
Pipe dream I know.