The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming.
They have a good young core comprised of Oneil Cruz, Henry Davis, Roansy Contreras, Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Jack Suwinski, Liover Peguero, and many others.
They also brought back Andrew McCutchen.
Their biggest move of the offseason, however, was made on Thursday.
“BREAKING: Right-hander Mitch Keller and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement on a five-year contract extension, sources tell me and @kileymcd. After a breakout season in which he struck out 210, the 27-year-old Keller will anchor the rotation for the team that drafted him,” MLB insider Jeff Passan tweeted.
BREAKING: Right-hander Mitch Keller and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement on a five-year contract extension, sources tell me and @kileymcd. After a breakout season in which he struck out 210, the 27-year-old Keller will anchor the rotation for the team that drafted him.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 22, 2024
For a team that is famous for avoiding big expenses on their payroll, they have scored two nice extensions in recent years: the Reynolds one and now Keller.
Finding talented, consistent pitchers has proven to be a huge challenge for the Pirates in recent years, especially considering that they aren’t precisely masters of player development.
That’s why retaining Keller for the long term was critical for their success and their chances of competing in 2024 and beyond.
The right-hander has developed into a frontline starter.
In 2023, he posted a 4.21 ERA, but that came with a 3.81 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and he struck out 210 hitters in 194.1 innings.
In today’s game, it’s not easy to find hurlers capable of pitching 190 innings more more.
Keller is still young, at 27 years old, and should remain a solid pitcher for the duration of his contract.
It won’t be easy, but there is a path for the Pirates to contend in 2024 and, more likely, 2025.
That path only existed if they could count on Keller.
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