The Pittsburgh Pirates have been aggressive in contract extension talks. Now, they're talking to right-hander Mitch Keller, but a deal is not close.
In the last 15 months, the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes and outfielder Bryan Reynolds to the two richest contracts in franchise history.
And they shouldn't stop there.
Right-hander Mitch Keller is among the breakout players in 2023, posting a 2.38 ERA and 69/14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in nine starts. He has recorded at least eight strikeouts in each of his last four starts, including 13 strikeouts in a seven-inning appearance against the Baltimore Orioles.
Keller, 27, and the Pirates have had talks about a contract extension, as first reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Talks have been ongoing for a while, but no deal is believed to be close at this time.
MLB Rumors: Why Pirates need to get Mitch Keller signed to extension
Still, the Pirates' aggressiveness in attempting to extend Keller when he has two more years of arbitration eligibility speaks volumes about what the team thinks of him and what he can be. He is producing ace-caliber results and is finally living up to the potential that many prospect experts projected him to be years ago when he was the organization's top prospect.
As evidenced by the Reynolds extension, the Pirates are not opposed to doing long-term extension in-season. Who can blame them? The longer the Pirates wait to extend Keller, the more expensive he will be. And for a team that has historically been one of the least active teams in spending money, being aggressive in extending Keller makes plenty of sense.
It remains to be seen if the Pirates and Keller will ultimately agree to an extension during the season. But extending him now, and not waiting, could help solidify the top of their rotation for years to come and avoid having another Gerrit Cole situation.
