Report: Pirates open to trading starters Keller, Jones

The Pittsburgh Pirates appear willing to deal two members of their starting rotation.

Pittsburgh is open to the idea of trading right-hander Mitch Keller, and young hurler Jared Jones is "very available," a source told Andrew Destin and Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Pirates are interested in moving Keller while his value is high in order to trim payroll and open funds to improve other areas of the roster, according to Destin and Hiles.

Keller inked a five-year, $77-million extension with the Pirates last February and went on to post a 4.25 ERA in 178 innings.

Jones, meanwhile, has looked like a future piece of the Pirates' rotation behind Paul Skenes. The 23-year-old pitched well in his debut season, authoring a 4.14 ERA with 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 frames. He has multiple years of control left and is earning a league minimum salary.

Pittsburgh has been busy this offseason, acquiring infielder Spencer Horwitz on Tuesday in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians that involved pitcher Luis L. Ortiz, while adding minor pieces to its bullpen mix in Hunter Stratton, Tanner Rainey, and Peter Strzelecki.