Pirates, Keller agree to five-year, $77 million contract extension

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pirates have locked up their ace. 

A year after serving as opening day starter and being named to his first All-Star Game, Mitch Keller agreed to a five-year, $77 million contract extension with the Pirates on Thursday. The deal, which was formally announced Friday, begins this season, runs through the 2028 season and does not have any options. 

The deal holds an average annual value of $15.4 million and comes a year after Keller ranked in the top 10 among MLB pitchers with 210 strikeouts in 194 1/3 innings. He surpassed A.J. Burnett’s single-season club record for most strikeouts by a right-handed pitcher in the process. 

In 32 outings as the Pirates’ clear No. 1 starter, Keller sported a 4.21 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and a 3.80 FIP, showing drastic improvement from his first three years in the majors when he struggled with a 6.02 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP through 39 starts. 

Since then, Derek Shelton has seen significant growth due to Keller’s determination to improve. 

“I think the motivation to be better is something Mitch continues to strive for," Shelton said Thursday. "We have a lot of young players, a lot of young pitchers, in competition. It was not an easy path for Mitch. We've seen the highs. We've seen the lows. So for guys to know there's going to be struggles at times in how you're able to bounce out of that and stay consistent, we have a very good model there with Mitch."

Keller was additionally announced by Shelton as this year's opening day starter Thursday. He'll look to once again anchor a starting rotation that will include offseason acquisitions in Martín Pérez and Marco Gonzales. Johan Oviedo was in line to also serve as a top-of-the-rotation starter, but he will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery during the offseason. 

Keller didn’t speak to the media Thursday, but some of his more tenured teammates were happy to hear the news. 

"Beyond excited for him. It’s unbelievable. I don’t even have words. I’m just excited, as I’m sure he is," David Bednar said. "It’s well-deserved. I’m so happy for him and his family. The journey that it took to get there, it’s remarkable. I think it makes it even sweeter." 

“It’s just big. First, because I’ve known him since my first year, so I’m super happy for him," said Ke’Bryan Hayes, who signed an eight-year, $70 million contract extension in 2022. "Then, obviously what he did last year for us just shows he can be an ace. We’re super happy to have him here long-term with us.” 

Bednar noted how much of a win it is being able to lock down a starter of Keller’s caliber. 

“It’s an awesome win for the organization, an awesome win for the fan base. As a team, to have that rock in the rotation, it’s huge,” he said. “You’re able to just build off of that. It’s really exciting that he’s going to be here for a long time to come. It’s really special.”