Throughout the summer, the Mitch Keller trade talk represented some of the most exhausting rumors in baseball. The nonstop buzz around his name, with nothing to show for it, felt both relentless and pointless when August arrived. That narrative has gained some fresh steam ahead of the winter, though, as Bleacher Report recently labeled Keller to be a prime trade target for the Houston Astros.
Kerry Miller's reasoning for the Astros to target Keller involved four of their starters going down and needing Tommy John surgery, likely missing the 2026 campaign. "They need a workhorse to pair with Hunter Brown, and Mitch Keller has logged the sixth-most innings of any pitcher over the past three seasons," he wrote.