The Pittsburgh Pirates and starting pitcher Mitch Keller agreed to a five-year, $77 million contract, keeping him with the team until 2028. The 2024 Major League Baseball season would have been Keller’s second under arbitration. Hence, the team initially offered him a one-year, $5.4 million deal.
Instead, the Pirates secured one of their promising pitchers long-term. Keller had a 13-9 record and a 4.21 earned run average for the Pirates last season. He struck out 210 batters in 194.1 innings and had a 1.245 WHIP. Those numbers earned him the first All-Star nod in his career.
The Big Dog is here to stay.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) February 23, 2024
We have signed RHP Mitch Keller to a five-year contract through
the 2028 season. pic.twitter.com/1BXI6IXs1d
Keller debuted for the Pirates in 2019, going 1-5 with a 7.13 ERA. He had 65 strikeouts and surrendered 41 runs in 48 innings. His 2023 mark was his first winning record in five MLB seasons. While he had a 3.91 ERA in 2022, he finished with a 5-12 record in 31 games.
Mitch Keller will join Martin Perez, Marco Gonzales, Luis Ortiz, and Bailey Falter as starting pitchers. Colin Holderman, Carmen Mlodzinski, Dauri Moreta, Colin Selbi, and Aroldis Chapman are some of the relief pitchers, while David Bednar is the closer.
Despite Keller’s All-Star season, the Pirates finished their 2023 campaign at 76-86, the worst record in the National League Central. However, it’s an improvement from the previous two seasons, wherein they lost 101 and 100 games, respectively. Pittsburgh’s last winning season came in 2018, finishing 82-79.
-Lance Fernandez