The Philadelphia Phillies made a strong move to upgrade their bullpen on Wednesday, asking right-hander Brad Keller, formerly of the Chicago Cubs.
Per Robert Murray of FanSided, Keller gets a 2-year, $22 million deal after a season where he posted a 2.07 ERA, 0.962 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts in 69.2 innings pitched for Chicago.
In the playoffs with the Cubs in 2025, Keller was 1-1 with a 1.59 ERA, 0.706 WHIP in five playoff games.
The veteran has been both a starter and reliever during his eight big league seasons, but pitched in 68 games out of the Cubs’ pen last season. During his eight seasons, he has spent time with Kansas City, Boston, and the White Sox.
He gives the Phillies a solid right-hander in front of closer Jhoan Duran, and adds depth with Matt Strahm, Tanner Banks, and Jose Alvarado. The team still has Orion Kerkering and some other options that will battle for bullpen spots at Spring Training.
Keller, 30, is 42-59 with a 4.14 ERA over 234 big league games, pitching in 790 innings.
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The move comes a day after Jordan Romano signed with the Los Angeles Angels. Romano was brought in last season to be a high-leverage bullpen arm, but he struggled virtually all season. Now adding Keller, the team hopes to have a more formidable back-end with Duran, Alvarado, Straham, and now Keller for the late innings.
It’s the second move the Phillies have made this week after adding right fielder Adolis Garcia, who is expected to replace Nick Castellanos in right field.
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