All Pittsburgh Pirates fans' eyes are on Paul Skenes, and understandably so, but Mitch Keller has been one of the few bright spots for this organization this season. Keller, a long-time Pirate, has been a stabilizing force in the team's rotation, but the latest rumor suggests that might not be for long. Not only is Keller available, but the Chicago Cubs, a team Pirates fans cannot stand, have been in communication regarding acquiring Keller.
Bruce Levine of 670 The Score says that the Cubs and Pirates have been talking regarding Keller, but "Getting deal done is challenging because of sellers market.
From the perspective of Pirates fans, the seller's market isn't the only reason why a Keller trade to the Cubs should be a non-starter.
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Trading Mitch Keller to Cubs would rub salt in painful wound
It's one thing for the Pirates to trade Keller, a pitcher who has spent his entire seven-year career in Pittsburgh, who happens to be on a very team-friendly contract, to get traded. Pirates fans can understand the team taking advantage of a seller's market when they have one of the worst records in the league. Trading him to the Cubs would be another story, though.
The Cubs, like the Pirates, are in the NL Central. Trading Keller to the Cubs would mean the Pirates would be helping their arch rivals acquire potentially one of the best available players at a position of clear need. The Cubs need starting pitching help, and acquiring Keller would help them greatly. Pirates fans would have to watch the Cubs have even more success and would have to compete directly against him for each of the next three seasons.
Sending Keller to a team in the American League might sting a bit, but the Pirates have little to do with any AL team. They play just one series annually against AL teams, and how AL teams perform has nothing to do with where they end up in the standings. The Pirates face the Cubs 13 times each season and are in the same division as them. The two don't compare.
There's only one way where a Mitch Keller trade to the Cubs makes sense
Pirates fans don't want Keller to end up in Chicago, and understandably so, but the Pirates shouldn't just hang up the phone immediately after Jed Hoyer calls. Instead, they should see if Hoyer is willing to offer a premium to acquire him.
If the Cubs are willing to go to absurd lengths to acquire Keller, a really good, but not great pitcher, the Pirates should let them and take full advantage. I'm talking about multiple Top-100 prospects and then some. That's what it should take to pry a cornerstone piece with several years of control away from a division rival.
If the Cubs are unwilling to go above and beyond for Keller, the Pirates will have several other suitors. They can also simply hold onto him. Trading Keller to the Cubs isn't a massive mistake only if the Pirates make the return worthwhile.
Whether the Cubs are that desperate remains to be seen.