Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the New York Yankees are among teams showing interest in veteran RHP Mitch Keller.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are out of the mix and intend on selling at the trade deadline, with Keller being among the many veteran pieces they have to deal for prospects.
Keller has a 3.48 ERA and 3.33 FIP across 20 starts, pitching to contact and relying on elite command to get outs at this stage of his career.
He sports a four-seamer, sinker, slider, sweeper, curveball, and changeup, sporting one of the deepest repertoires in the entire sport.
Owed money beyond 2025, Keller would serve as a multi-year reinforcement for the Bronx Bombers and their rotation, which has been decimated by injuries.
Yankees Showing Interest In Acquiring Mitch Keller At the Deadline
Mitch Keller has been one of the top starters in the National League this season, sporting a strong 3.48 ERA with 119 innings pitched in 20 starts.
An ironman for the Pirates’ rotation, Keller is fifth in MLB in innings pitched since 2023 (491.1 IP), profiling as a number three starter with some upside.
The Yankees could make Keller even better with some tweaks, and some in the organization believe there’s more to unlock in the veteran right-hander.
Pittsburgh and New York are familiar trade partners, with the Pirates sending over pitchers Clay Holmes and Jameson Taillon in recent years.
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Among starting pitchers, Mitch Keller is 18th in fWAR and 20th in FIP, sporting a strong groundball rate and just a 0.68 HR/9 as a result of elite damage prevention.
His fastball velocity has come down a bit from recent years, but Keller still intrigues some forward-thinking organizations because of his lower arm angle and wide array of pitches.
Furthermore, Mitch Keller is under contract for three more seasons after 2025, meaning the team acquiring him will have him for 3.5 total seasons.
The re-adjusted AAV will be between $17-18 million towards the Luxury Tax, which is certainly manageable for a team, and the Yankees could use some pitching help this deadline.
Both the Cubs and Mets are also in the mix, and the Yankees will have to fend off some fierce contenders with strong farm systems to improve their rotation this deadline.
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