The pitching market in baseball has officially taken off following the Toronto Blue Jays picking up Dylan Cease, and the Red Sox swinging a deal with St. Louis for Sonny Gray. The A’s will have some options in free agency to add pitching, but could ultimately land their guy via trade.
It’s been difficult for the A’s to lure in free agents due to the team playing in a minor league stadium for at least the next two seasons, but they are expected to start their 2028 season in Las Vegas.
Because of this, the A’s might favor the trade market to secure their needs in pitching and at third base. Last offseason, the team landed veteran left-hander Jeffrey Springs via trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
This offseason, the A’s could acquire yet another veteran starter in a trade. The Pittsburgh Pirates could be a perfect trade partner, as they look to add hitters, and are willing to part with their veteran starter, Mitch Keller. The former All-Star has pitched all seven of his big league seasons in Pittsburgh, and has been one of their better arms.
Keller has pitched 175+ innings in each of the last three seasons, posting a 4.19 ERA (4.02 FIP) and a 1.23 WHIP in 2025. His 32 starts were more than any pitcher on the A’s in 2025. In the last five seasons, Keller has been a solid starter for the Pirates, and now that they look to offload his contract for a bat, the A’s could certainly use Keller’s talents.
Keller is signed for three more seasons, and which will be his age 30-32 campaigns. In that time he will be owed $16.91 million in 2026, $18.41 million in 2027 and $20.41 million in 2028. Cease, who just signed a seven year, $210 deal with the Jays, will also be 30 in 2026 and is set to make $30 million per year. It makes the Keller deal look like a steal.
Innings from starting pitchers are something the A’s struggle with, as the team’s leader in innings pitched was Jeffrey Springs with 171 this past season.
The next two with the highest amount of innings were Luis Severino with 162 2/3, and then JP Sears, who was traded at the deadline to San Diego, with 111 innings pitched. Besides those three arms, no other pitcher threw over 100 innings for the team.
This means Keller’s 176 1/3 innings would’ve led the A’s in innings pitched this year, and with all of the injury problems the team has had at starting pitcher, it would be nice to get more consistency on the mound in 2026.
Putting Together a Deal
Aug 8, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller (23) deliver a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Since the Pirates have made it clear that they are looking for a bat, we can assume they will want one of the A’s many young hitters. A’s outfielder Colby Thomas could be a potential option for the Pirates as he has shown he can be a valuable hitter against left-handed pitching, while also being a plus defender with a good arm in the outfield.
They could instead go for one of the A’s infielders in Darell Hernaiz or Zack Gelof. The A’s could be willing to part with one of the two as they will likely add a veteran infielder, and have Hernaiz and Gelof, as well as Brett Harris and Max Muncy, fight for the second base position. Given Gelof’s recent injury history, that could complicate things, however.
The other big detail that we just don’t know is how much money the Pirates would be willing to eat in a potential deal. If the money stays as is, it’s hard to see the A’s having to give up a whole lot in order to land Keller. However, if Pittsburgh picks up some of the tab, then perhaps a bigger bat could be in order.
It’s just tough to see the A’s moving one of their key sluggers in this deal, as Keller is more along the lines of a league average starter that can eat innings, rather than someone like Hunter Greene or Jonah Tong.
The A’s will likely check out free agency to see if they can land an arm without parting with a young hitter. If they fail to sign one from free agency, the trade market will have plenty of serviceable arms for the A’s, with Mitch Keller being one of the best fits as the A’s continue to push towards being a playoff contender.
Recommended Articles: