General manager Ben Cherington wants to improve the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026, but he also doesn't anticipate the team's payroll increasing year over year from 2025. If both those things are true, then the club has just one viable option: Trade Mitch Keller this offseason.
Every million that the Pirates owe Keller is a million not available for patching glaring offensive holes, and with ownership unwilling to expand payroll, Cherington’s hands are tied. Keeping Keller means sacrificing the ability to field a competent lineup.
This is the kind of cold, pragmatic financial math that exposes the paradox at the center of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ “competitive window.