First Call: Dodgers reportedly have interest in Pirates' Mitch Keller; Jets coach raves about new Steeler Kwon Alexander

Monday’s “First Call” has a rumored suitor to land Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Plus, Kwon Alexander’s former head coach is pumping his tires as the linebacker acclimates to the Steelers. We look for updates on Nick Bosa’s contract situation in advance of the Steelers-49ers opener.

And a former Pitt star suffers an injury in Tampa Bay’s training camp.

Calling about Keller?

To what extent Mitch Keller is truly on the trade market is unclear. But that certainly isn’t stopping teams from inquiring about making a deal for the Pirates starting pitcher.

According to the Los Angeles Times, one such team is the L.A. Dodgers. Times writers Jorge Castillo and Jack Harris say the Dodgers had interest in both Keller and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jordan Montgomery. But Montgomery was eventually dealt to the Texas Rangers, along with ex-Pirate Chris Stratton.

In a recent interview with TribLIVE’s Kevin Gorman, Keller made a pitch to stay in Pittsburgh.

“I definitely want to be here for the rest of my career,” Keller told the Tribune-Review. “Being drafted here and being homegrown, I guess, is kind of special. At the start of the year, we didn’t have this many young guys, but now we have I don’t know how many prospects, which is really cool to see. To be a part of that would be awesome. We have a lot of pieces. It’s cool to see the future players are here, and I would love to be a part of it.”

The 27-year-old Keller made the All-Star game earlier this month after posting a 3.31 ERA in the first half of the year. Since then, though, he’s tallied an 8.64 ERA in three starts.

Via Sports Illustrated, the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect, right-hander Gavin Stone, is a name that is being floated as bait. The trade deadline is at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

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Ambassador of Kwon

New Steelers linebacker Kwon Alexander is getting a ringing endorsement from his former coach.

New York Jets coach Robert Saleh sang Alexander’s praises Sunday during a press conference.

“I love Kwon. I think he’s a fantastic person. He brings so much juice and energy to the locker room and on the practice field. Always reliable. Love him to death. I’m excited for his opportunity. Pittsburgh definitely got a good player,” Saleh said.

Alexander was drafted out of LSU by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. He made the All-Rookie team and a Pro Bowl with them in 2017. In March 2019, the San Francisco 49ers signed Alexander to a four-year, $54 million contract ($27 million guaranteed).

Since then, he has also played for the New Orleans Saints and most recently with the New York Jets. Injuries have been a problem for Alexander. He suffered a torn ACL in 2018, a torn pectoral muscle in 2019, a torn Achilles in 2020 and an elbow injury in 2021.

Last year, he played a full season with the Jets, a first for him since 2016.

Kancey’s calf

Last week, the football world stopped when Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was carted off the field with a calf strain.

Joe Burrow pulls up with a lower right leg injury. pic.twitter.com/XTDHwG7klD

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) July 27, 2023

Now the same thing has happened to former Pitt standout Calijah Kancey. A video has made its way to social media of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first-round choice pulling up in pain during individual drills Sunday.

Bucs first round pick Calijah Kancey was just carted off the field after going down during a drill early in Sunday’s practice. #Bucs pic.twitter.com/d3QKm2o5lC

— Dustin Lewis (@DustinLewisNG) July 30, 2023

“He’ll get an MRI, and we’ll see where it’s at,” coach Todd Bowles said via ESPN.com.

Bucs officials had been gushing about Kancey’s performance during offseason workouts. Kancey was first-team All-American at Pitt, totaling 7.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss as a junior.

No news on Nick

The Steelers’ first opponent of the 2023 schedule is the San Francisco 49ers. They are currently dealing with some contract drama.

As of now, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa is not at training camp. He is holding out until he gets a contract extension to his rookie deal.

On Sunday, head coach Kyle Shanahan provided no news on the situation.

“I haven’t heard anything, so no updates there,” Shanahan said of Bosa’s status via 49ersWebZone.com.

Bosa had 18.5 sacks in 2022.