The Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates have been discussing a trade that would involve sending starting pitcher Mitch Keller to Chicago, per Bob Nightengale. Almost every contending team will be looking for starting pitching at the deadline. The Cubs are certainly no exception. Their rotation has not been terrible, but it is not set up for them to make a deep run into October. The big move they made for Kyle Tucker before the season signals that they will be aggressive at the trade deadline. Jed Hoyer is in the final year of his contract and needs a playoff run to solidify his job moving forward.

The interesting part on the Keller front is that he signed a seven-year, $77 million contract before the 2024 season. Would the Cubs be willing to take on that deal? Keller currently has a 3.90 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings this season.

Pittsburgh has a couple of other players that could be interesting for the Cubs. Reliever David Bednar has been rumored to be available as well. While Daniel Palencia has been solid since he was moved to the closer role, you can never have too many arms in the bullpen. Bednar will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is another name the Cubs have reportedly been keeping an eye on. This one does not make as much sense. Hayes is a great defender, but has never realized his potential at the plate. Hayes is hitting just .246 with two home runs in 77 games this season and actually has a lower WAR (1.1 to .09) than Matt Shaw on the season. If the Cubs are bringing in someone to replace Shaw in the short term, it should be a guy who is an upgrade at the plate.