Toronto Blue Jays pursuing Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller

According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the Blue Jays are frontrunners for the 29-year old right hander.

They're the latest in a growing number of clubs reported to have interest in the 29-year-old righty, who's also drawn looks from the Yankees, Mets and Cubs. Keller is signed through the 2028 season.

Keller's fit with the Blue Jays is natural in many ways. Toronto will see right-handers Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer reach free agency at season's end, vacating two spots in the rotation. Kevin Gausman is signed for only one additional year and will be a free agent in the 2026-27 offseason.

Right-hander Jose Berrios has an opt-out clause in his contract that allows him to reenter the free-agent market in the 2026-27 offseason as well.

Fifth starter Eric Lauer, who's been a godsend in Toronto after signing a minor league contract, is controllable via arbitration through 2026.

Adding a steady arm like Keller, who's in his prime and affordably signed for three additional seasons, has to hold appeal for the Blue Jays, particularly given the number of pitching injuries they've seen among their prospect class and other young arms in recent years.

Left-handers Ricky Tiedemann and Brandon Barreria and right-handers Jake Bloss, Landen Maroudis and T.J. Brock have all undergone UCL surgery within the past 15 months.

Righty Adam Macko had knee surgery in February and has been roughed up for 23 runs in 25 Triple-A innings upon returning.

Former AL Cy Young finalist Alek Manoah is still on the mend from last year's UCL procedure and is only controllable through the 2027 season.

Bowden Francis has been unable to replicate last year's late-season showing and has now been out more than a month due to a shoulder impingement.

Keller is being paid $15MM this season, just $500K less than the Jays paid to sign the 40-year-old Scherzer to a one-year deal in free agency this past offseason.

It's an eminently affordable rate for a pitcher of Keller's quality.

While he's not an ace, he's a former second-round pick and top prospect who has blossomed into a steady mid-rotation arm and could be seen by some other clubs as a pitcher with a bit of yet-untapped potential.