The Pittsburgh Pirates, surprisingly, have a lot of starting pitching depth. Would this make the front office consider trading away Mitch Keller? If so, the Atlanta Braves are a team in MLB that, as a contender, desperately needs another starter to help with depth in the pitching staff.
SportsIllustrated.com’s “Fantasy Sports on SI” contributor Ryan Shea recently floated the idea of the Braves trading for the Pirates’ $77 million arm in Keller.
Atlanta just extended Chris Sale to a one-year, $27 million deal, but has also already begun dealing with injuries to its starting rotation, with Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach sidelined. Before the season has even started, not a great sign for Atlanta’s starting rotation.
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Should the Braves Trade for Mitch Keller?
Mitch Keller has been a fairly average starting pitcher in MLB over the past several seasons, but what makes him so attractive is his ability to eat innings, which is what the Braves need, and Keller would certainly be an upgrade over Bryce Elder.
In SI.com’s proposed mock trade, the Braves would send away Sean Murphy for Pirates’ starter Mitch Keller:
“A team like the Braves, in particular, could see Keller as the perfect addition to stabilize their rotation and increase their win potential, especially in a league that rewards quality starts and innings pitched.”
While both these players had been strong subjects of trade rumors back in July, and Keller carried some buzz for this offseason, there haven’t been many developments that either could be moved before Opening Day.
However, that doesn’t mean this isn’t a great deal on paper. It would be essentially an even swap financially, and the Pirates could upgrade at the catcher position. Sean Murphy provides strong power upside, and Keller would give Atlanta a durable starter (who is a former All-Star) to slot in as the third or fourth option, if any other arms go down with injury.
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Will the Braves Trade Sean Murphy?
My opinion doesn’t matter, but I agree with Shea here that the Braves should consider trading Sean Murphy.
Will they? That’s another question.
He has failed to hit above.200 in each of the past two seasons, and is dealing with a hip injury that will leave him sidelined to start the season. Pair those two reasons with the fact that Drake Baldwin is the clear starter, and Atlanta brought in a couple of other veteran options to be backup options to start the year.
The still-hitting-needy Pirates would welcome him with open arms, and then the Braves in return could get a starter that is an almost automatic 30+ starts, 150+ innings, and an ERA of low-mid 4.00s in Mitch Keller.