The Boston Red Sox are scuffling out of the MLB All-Star break, and they could use a starting pitcher badly to complement AL Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet.
That’s why ESPN’s David Schoenfeld predicted Boston to pull the trigger on a trade for Pittsburgh Pirates staring pitcher Mitch Keller.
Keller’s win-loss record is a ghastly 4-10, but that speaks more to the Pirates’ dreadful offense than of his prowess. Keller is second among Pirates starters with a 3.53 ERA and 1.16 WHIP behind only Paul Skenes, and has made 21 starts this season.
Keller, who just turned 29 in April, is signed through 2028 at an AAV of $18.16 million.
Why Should The Red Sox Trade For Mitch Keller?
The Red Sox rank 18th in the majors in strikeouts-per-nine innings, despite Crochet’s eye-popping 10.97 K/9 rate, which ranks sixth in the majors behind only some of the best pitchers in the game.
So Keller’s strikeout rate would help that, since he boasts a mark of 7.0 per nine innings, but Keller’s control would be more effective for Boston’s pitching staff. His 3.23 strikeout-to-walk rate would be second behind Crochet, and the Red Sox’s 2.57 K/BB rate is just 20th in baseball.
Why are the Pirates dangling arguably their most valuable pitcher outside of Skenes? Because they need offense badly.
“The Keller rumors keep picking up steam,” Schoenfeld wrote. “Although this type of controllable pitcher is rarely — ever? — traded at the deadline, but the Pirates might view this as their best opportunity to add some much-needed offense.”
According to Schoenfeld, the Red Sox are a fit because they have what the Pirates want, prospect-wise.
“The Red Sox have a surplus of outfielders already in the majors and more hitting prospects in the minors, so they line up as a potential match with Pittsburgh,” Schoenfeld wrote at ESPN.com Thursday. “This could be an old-fashioned challenge trade with the Red Sox offering Jarren Duran, who matches Keller in being under team control through 2028.
“Or maybe the Pirates would want multiple players — Kristian Campbell has been squeezed out of a spot in the Boston lineup, for example, and High-A infielder Franklin Arias would be another option.”
Will The Red Sox Trade For Mitch Keller?
The Red Sox 2025 season has been a roller coaster, since they have multiple five-plus-game losing streaks and two win streaks of six-plus games — including their 10-gamer before the All-Star break.
So the fact Boston is squarely in the hunt in the AL wild card spot — they hold a 1.5-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers for the last AL playoff spot and trail the New York Yankees by two games for the No. 1 wild card — means it will do something before next week’s trade deadline.
Yet, according to Schoenfeld, it is likely to be something smaller than acquiring Keller, who is No. 16 on The Athletic’s top-40 trade deadline rankings.
“It’s admittedly more likely the Red Sox do something smaller, not wishing to break up their momentum,” Schoenfeld wrote.
Part of those potentially smaller deals could involve the Sox targeting a power-hitting first baseman like Josh Naylor of the Arizona Diamondbacks or Ryan O’Hearn of the Baltimore Orioles, the latter of which could also play the outfield in a pinch.
“Don’t rule out [Boston] adding a first baseman, such as Naylor or Ryan O’Hearn,” Schoenfeld wrote. “Abraham Toro has done OK filling in for injured Triston Casas, but his track record suggests he could regress at any moment.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Red Sox Named Landing Spot for Standout Starting Pitcher appeared first on Heavy Sports.