The Pirates have done everything they could to stabilize their 2025 season. On May 8, when they started the season with a 12-26 record, they fired Derek Shelton and promoted Don Kelly, their bench coach, as the manager. However, that transformation also did not help them. The Pirates finished their season with 71-91, lower than last year’s 76-86. And one reason for their decline was their inconsistent offense, where with 583 runs, they ranked last in the domain of runs scored.

And one star who can get affected after the shaky year is the $77M pitcher, Mitch Keller, who finished the season with a 6-15 win-loss record. The conversation gets more intense when Jim Riley of BALLCAP Sports suggested that, “Pittsburgh has no reason not to trade Mitch Keller”.

In July, Keller performed well, where in five games his ERA was 2.93. However, that power quickly shades away when in August he recorded an ERA of 6.52. If we talked about overall performance, then he had a 4.19 ERA over 176 1/3 innings this season. His WHIP was 1.26 with 150 strikeouts. He was not an elite hitter this season, but he was definitely a reliable pitcher and most of the time, he provided solid starts to the team.

Still, Riley thinks, “trading Mitch Keller frees up that money and then they can go and spend some of that money on bats, I think that’s a good thing too”. Mitch Keller is going to get $16.5 M in the upcoming season and he is bound to have $54.5 M over the upcoming three seasons. So, for the Pirates’ budget-conscious approach, trading Keller would give them some money, which they can utilize to get a better hitter.

As per Riley, “the Angels are a great fit for Mitch Keller. And this goes with my free agent prediction, if the Angels add Keller and Cease, that would be an incredible upgrade to that rotation. It would give them somewhat of a chance”. And he suggested a trade between Keller and the Angels for Taylor Ward.

Riley added, “But the Pittsburgh Pirates have to add a bat. They need to send some offense to this team to support Paul Skenes, to support Bubba Chandler, to support Jared Jones when he’s back. That rotation needs an offensive upgrade, and Taylor Ward brings a lot of pop. That lineup needs exactly what he brings to the table. So, Ward to the Pirates in exchange for Mitch Keller. These two teams get exactly what they’re looking for in a deal together with each other”.

Bob Nutting has shown interest in Taylor Ward at the period of 2024 trade deadline. And Ward has been elite for years for the LA Angels and in 2025, he has shown a new level of power. In 2025, he delivered 36 home runs and drove in 103 runs. Ward also delivered a .317 on-base percentage, .375 slugging percentage and finished with a .228 BA. Ward’s 2.9 fWAR and 117 wRC+ were elite and he was definitely performing as a top hitter in the AL. And that is why adding him will be a support for stars like Paul Skenes.

He would be an elite support for the team because Ward’s Pirates need a star who can deliver more home runs after ending this season with 117, which was last in the league. Now, only time will show whether the Pirates and the Angels can reach an agreement.

While Bob Nutting explores a vital transformation to support Paul Skenes, trade talks across MLB have highlighted another path for the team’s roster reshuffle.

Pirates-Athletics trade proposal emerges as smart path to enhance bullpen and outfield

The Pirates and the Athletics could come to a mutual decision to trade around Dennis Santana and JJ Bleday. The Athletics are looking for an experienced late-inning star and Santana’s breakout 2024-2025 campaign makes him a perfect target. His command and skill to handle high-leverage situations fit well with the Athletics’ need as the team pushes to enhance its pitching depth.

For the Pirates, getting Bleday provides a power-capable and elite outfielder to manage the gap in the team’s lineup. Despite some inconsistencies, the star’s late-season performance highlighted enhanced contact. Adding Zane Taylor will also help the Pirates to enhance their pitching pipeline. Such a trade highlights a balanced exchange.

Bon Nutting appears poised for a vital trade as the team is trying to reshuffle its roster for 2026. Now, time will say whether the Pirates go with the Angels star or focus on the Athletics.