Fansided

3 Braves trade targets from Pirates deadline selling, 1 to avoid

By Cody Williams

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: David Bednar #51 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws to first base for an out against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at loanDepot park on June 24, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: David Bednar #51 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws to first base for an out against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at loanDepot park on June 24, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) /
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Braves Rumors, Braves trade targets, Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates
Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

2. Mitch Keller, SP

Hill is perhaps the more realistic option for the Braves to consider at the trade deadline if Atlanta is going to look to the Pirates for an addition to the rotation that they could use. But where’s the fun in always playing it safe? That’s where Mitch Keller could possibly come into play.

After the Pirates locked up Bryan Reynolds earlier this year and seemed to be on a positive trajectory for the 2023 season, the buzz was that the next extension that they were working on would (or maybe should) be with Keller.

It’s not hard to see why given the 27-year-old right-hander’s performance. Even with the Pirates fading hard, Keller still has a 9-3 record on the season with a 3.34 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, which shows tremendous growth off of an already-solid 2022 campaign where he posted a 3.91 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 159 innings of work.

Keller has two years of club control remaining after this season, so the Pirates might not be terribly inclined to trade him, which would obviously drive up the price if the Braves or any other team were interested. At the same time, Pittsburgh could be more motivated to move him given the substantial return they could receive.

Unlike Hill, Keller has the potential to be more than a rental for the Braves rotation, setting them up with a Charlie Morton replacement for 2024 and beyond while also putting Atlanta with arguably the best three-man start to the rotation in baseball with Max Fried, Spencer Strider and then Keller.

Again, it would be a costly, costly move. But at the very least, Anthopoulos should check the price tag to see where things stand.

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