Brad Keller has signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies after a strong season as a reliever for the Chicago Cubs. The move comes as part of changes to the Phillies’ bullpen, which also included trading Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals and sending minor league outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for left-hander Kyle Backhus.
Keller, 30, is expected to work alongside José Alvarado as setup men for closer Jhoan Duran. Reflecting on his experience last season, Keller said, “Last year was my first taste of really winning, being in a winning organization and getting a chance to pitch in the postseason. I told my agent as I went through this process, once you get a taste of that, that’s what you crave every single year. It was such an awesome experience. That’s something I want to do, year in and year out. And I feel like Philly gives you a really good opportunity for that.”
During his time with the Cubs last season, Keller posted a 4-2 record with a 2.07 ERA over 68 appearances. He struck out 75 batters and walked 22 in just under 70 innings pitched. His performance ranked him among the top relievers in several statistical categories.
Keller began his career as a starter with the Royals before undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in October 2023. After struggling during stints with both the White Sox and Red Sox in 2024, he joined the Cubs on a minor league deal aiming to return as a starter but was converted into a reliever.
“I loved it,” Keller said about his transition to relief pitching. “It was an awesome adjustment.”
He also noted improvements in his fastball velocity following surgery: “I think health played a big part into the velo jump,” Keller said. “I know you always get a jump when you go to the bullpen … but I wouldn’t say I expected a 4 mph jump, that was pretty cool. But I did feel like I worked really hard. I cleaned up a lot of mechanical things.”
Keller described his surgery as more vascular than neurogenic and compared it to procedures undergone by other pitchers such as Zack Wheeler and Merrill Kelly.
“I had more of vascular, as well,” Keller explained regarding his condition. “My hand would swell up a lot. My hand would go white, like pale. There’s just no blood flow… Mine was mostly the vascular, where it just felt like my whole arm was super swollen. I felt like I couldn’t hold onto the baseball.”
He added that he did not start feeling fully recovered until mid-2024 due to rushing rehabilitation while seeking team placement.
By midseason last year his fastball velocity returned near pre-injury levels, helping him secure this offseason contract with Philadelphia.
“There’s nothing like the adrenaline spike when the phone rings and your name’s called,” Keller said.
The Phillies are one of Major League Baseball’s oldest franchises and have played home games at Citizens Bank Park since 2004 (official website). The team has won World Series titles in both 1980 and 2008 (official website), representing Philadelphia at both local and national levels (official website).
