Trade Rumors Swirling Around Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Pitchers

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates are the teams who were drawing interest for their starting pitchers at the MLB General Manager Meetings this week.

Sep 15, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) on the mound in the first inning during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Chase Field. / Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The MLB General Manager Meetings came and went without any major moves, but that doesn't mean there weren't discussions that will send ripple effects through the rest of the offseason.

The Athletic's Will Sammon and Patrick Mooney reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates both attracted plenty of interest for their starting pitchers down in San Antonio. Both teams have a surplus of starters, although they are in different places as franchises.

Arizona is one year removed from making the World Series, and they only missed the final NL Wild Card spot by 1.0 game in 2024. They splurged on pitching last winter, only to fall victim to injuries and underperforming additions.

While Zac Gallen remains the team's ace, the 29-year-old righty has just one season left under contract. He finished top-10 in NL Cy Young voting in 2020, 2022 and 2023, and just went 14-6 with a 3.65 ERA and 2.7 WAR this past year.

Merrill Kelly is also set to hit free agency after the 2025 season, at which point he would be 37 years old. A shoulder injury limited Kelly to 13 starts this year, but he is still 53-44 with a 3.82 ERA and 13.5 WAR since joining the Diamondbacks in 2019.

Arizona has Jordan Montgomery under contract for another year, although his trade value may be shaky after he posted a 6.23 ERA and fell out of the rotation in 2024. Eduardo Rodriguez was a similarly disappointing introduction to the group with a 5.04 ERA and a shoulder injury of his own.

Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt are the youngsters of the group, boasting four and five years of team control, respectively. Even if they aren't as proven as the others, that alone could make them intruiging targets to other clubs.

As for the Pirates, their rotation is full of even more youth. NL Rookie of the Year contender Paul Skenes is likely untouchable, but there are plenty of other arms Pittsburgh could deem to be expendable.

Mitch Keller signed a five-year extension with the Pirates in February, a few months removed from his first All-Star appearance. His ERA creeped over 4.00 for the second season in a row, though, so it remains to be seen if Keller can be a true ace moving forward.

Jared Jones, like Skenes, had an impressive rookie campaign. While the 23-year-old didn't finish the season as strong as he started it, he still had a 4.14 ERA and 1.8 WAR across 22 outings.

Luis L. Ortiz joined the rotation down the stretch, and the 25-year-old finished the season with a 3.32 ERA and 3.0 WAR. Bailey Falter, 27, had a 4.43 ERA and 1.7 WAR in his 28 starts.

Then there's 26-year-old righty Johan Oviedo, who underwent Tommy John surgery last November. Between 2022 and 2023, Ovideo went 11-16 with a 4.15 ERA and 2.8 WAR in 39 starts for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates have all of those starting pitchers in-house despite trading Martín Pérez and Quinn Priester away at the deadline and letting the oft-injured Marco Gonzales enter free agency. They could continue the trend and shed more arms this winter, depending on what other teams are willing to give up.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.