Following the injury to Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, Jed Hoyer and Co.'s need for rotation help is through the roof. The Cubs were already in need of such an asset, and had been making calls since mid-June, per various reports. With Taillon on the shelf, the Cubs rotation consists of the likes of Shota Imanaga (who just returned from injury himself), Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea and Cade Horton. That's it, meaning if the Cubs hope to hold on to their NL Central lead in the second half, they need to make a move. Mitch Keller could be the perfect addition.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted the connection between the Cubs and Keller, with most insiders deeming it a matter of when, not if, the Pirates trade the surging starting pitcher.
"The Cubs’ urgency to find another starter accelerated when they placed veteran Jameson Taillon on the injured list with a calf strain, sidelining him for at least a month. They continue to pursue Pirates starter Mitch Keller, but his price tag is soaring with Keller yielding a 2.40 ERA in his last five starts, including seven scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals," Nightengale wrote.
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Cubs are the perfect fit for Mitch Keller
To Nightengale's point, the asking price for Keller is sure to be through the roof for several reasons. First, Keller has been on a tear of late and just shut down one of the Cubs primary competitors in the NL Central. Second, Keller's contract is team-friendly, as he is signed through the 2028 season. In the final year of that deal, he'll receive just a shade over $20 million. That is a bargain.
Now, what will it take to acquire Keller? That is a much tougher question to answer. Pirates president of baseball operations Ben Cherington is feeling the heat from the fanbase, and rightly so. The Bucs cannot simply trade Keller for prospects in the hopes of kicking the can down the road some. If Cherington tries such a tactic, there is a good chance he won't be with the franchise to reap those benefits.
Matt Shaw could thrive with the Pittsburgh Pirates
So, as tough as this may be for Cubs fans to hear, their best bet might be including third baseman Matt Shaw in said deal. Shaw has struggled to acclimate to the MLB level, but he still has some of that prospect shine left on him, and the Pirates are desperate for big-league bats. Given this trade is happening within the NL Central, and thus the Bucs would be signing up to face Keller for the next three years on a regular basis, the asking price is sure to be high.
Shaw makes sense for several reasons. He has big-league experience, and the Pirates are currently shopping their own third baseman in Ke'Bryan Hayes. Shaw would be a plug-and-play 23-year-old brimming with potential. Those don't come available often, and it'd be easy for Cherington to spin such a trade as a win for both sides.
The Cubs themselves should also be in the market for an upgrade at the hot corner, which opens up the possibility of including Hayes in this trade, or perhaps looking elsewhere for a more proven upgrade to Shaw.
Trading prospects always come with some pain points, but given the lack of reliable, controllable starting pitching on the market this July, dealing Shaw could be a necessary evil.