MLB

Pirates sign SP Mitch Keller to five-years, $77 million contract extension

Keller’s performance tailed off in the latter part of last season’s All-Star campaign, but the 27-year-old is a building block at the front of Pittsburgh’s rotation. Keller and 2023’s No. 1 overall pick, Paul Skenes, should be a formidable duo for the Pirates as soon as this summer, and it’s easy to see the vision in Pittsburgh. In the end though, if this extension is an outlier and not an indication of more spending by the Pirates, Pittsburgh’s somewhat promising future won’t amount to much.

Grade: B+