Today, the Cubs announced a flurry of moves, including the promotion of Brad Keller and the addition of Ben Brown to their rotation. As the Cubs prepare for their last spring training games, their roster is molding into shape ahead of their opening domestic series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Who is Brad Keller
Speaking of Arizona, Brad Keller was taken by the Diamondbacks in the 8th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. Keller spent five seasons in the minor leagues before making his debut in 2018 with the Royals after being traded for future considerations. Keller looked like a superstar out of the gate as his 3.08 ERA, 140 ERA+, and 4.2 bWAR were superb. Unfortunately for Keller, his bWAR would drop to 3.0 the year after that. However, he bounced back in 2020, posting a 1.8 bWAR in just nine starts.
But since 2021, Keller has yet to register a season with at least .5 bWAR. Last season, Keller spent time with the White Sox and Red Sox, with subpar results.
In January, the Cubs scooped up the 29-year-old veteran in hopes of recapturing his early career magic with the Royals. So far in spring, Keller has looked good. His 4.46 ERA in 11.2 innings is solid, as is his 9.3 K/9 ratio. Keller has added some velocity this spring, and his breaking pitches have looked sharp.
Brad Keller makes the Cubs roster out of Spring Training
On Tuesday morning, Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced that Keller would make the Cubs roster out of spring training. The Cubs conclude spring training today against the Braves before getting ready to face the Diamondbacks in a four-game series starting this Thursday.
Keller is likely filling the vacant roster spot left by Tyson Miller, as he was placed on the 10-day injured list yesterday with a left hip impingement. Its quite possible that he may also be filling in his role in the bullpen as well. The Cubs may ask Keller to pitch late in low-leverage games as a setup man.
Cubs’ pitching coach Tommy Hottovy should be given credit for the semi-revival of Keller’s career, as he has taken in several reclamation projects in his time with Chicago. He will hope to work his magic once again with the seven-year veteran.
Ben Brown was added to the rotation
The Cubs also announced that Ben Brown would be named the fifth starter in the rotation. I talked about Ben Brown earlier this week, and I am glad the Cubs are giving Brown a shot. His velocity is elite, and his knuckle-curve has the potential to become one of the best pitches in the major leagues. He needs to learn to control it a bit better, but it has elite swing and miss numbers. It will be interesting to see how stretched out Ben Brown is. If he can handle the workload, he will likely remain in the Cubs rotation long-term.
But this may signal that the Cubs view Colin Rea as a bullpen exclusive option. When the Cubs brought him back this offseason, many fans expected him to be the fifth starter behind Matthew Boyd in the rotation. But it looks like Brown will handle those duties instead.
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