The Chicago White Sox are one of three teams listed as possible trade partners for Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller this offseason, according to Sports Illustrated’s Dominic Campbell.
Campbell lists the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves as the other two teams and views the White Sox as “a long shot,” but he emphasizes that the White Sox could address one area of need this offseason: starting pitching.
White Sox Much Improved In 2026 Compared To 2025
The White Sox had a much improved 2026 season in which they went 84-78, finished in 2nd place within the AL Central, and made it to the ALDS this year against Cleveland, where they got off to a 2-0 series lead, but would go on to lose three straight and lose the series in five games.
One issue for the White Sox this year was starting pitching. As a team in 2026, they averaged a 4.12 ERA over 162 games and 1,440.2 innings pitched. They were basically in the middle of the pack in pitching rankings, not the worst, but not great either.
Mitch Keller, 30, is coming off arguably the worst season of his career, posting a 6-8 record, a 5.29 ERA, and just 89 strikeouts in 115.2 innings across 22 starts in 2026 for Pittsburgh. The contract side of things with Keller is still up for discussion. He signed a five-year, $77 million extension with the team in February 2024, and he’s still owed $ 18.41 million in 2027 and $20.41 million in 2028, per Spotrac. That’s two years and nearly 40 million dollars left on the books for Keller.
Keller was a more reliable starting pitcher in 2022-24, before the contract extension. His best season was arguably in 2023, when he posted a 13-9 record with a 4.21 ERA and 210 strikeouts in 194.1 innings pitched, which calculated to a 3.0 WAR (Wins Above Replacement).
Keller posted all-time low whiff and K percentages, as well as hard-hit rate and ground-ball percentages, according to Baseball Savant. The White Sox rotation in 2026 featured Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, Luis Castillo, and younger guys who’ve pitched out of the bullpen: Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz, and Grant Taylor.
Pirates Issue With Finding A Trade Partner For Keller
Maybe the White Sox see something in Keller that they could fix? But then there’s the contract (financials) aspect they’d also have to work out with Pittsburgh. Whether the Pirates can even find a trade partner, given Keller’s 2026 season and the contract complexities, remains to be seen.
However, the market is always scarce on readily available starting pitching. It will be something to monitor as the White Sox navigate the 2026-27 offseason with a looming lockout, and with their own goals of further improving off the 2026 season with this new rising core of young, talented players in a new era on the South Side in Chicago and for White Sox baseball moving forward in the foreseeable future.
White Sox’ Listed As Possible Trade Partner for Pirates’ Mitch Keller