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Phillies Sign Reliever Brad Keller to a Two-Year Deal
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The Phillies bolstered their bullpen on Wednesday morning, inking former Cubs reliever Brad Keller to a two-year, $22M contract, reported first by Robert Murray:
If you go back and look at Keller’s baseball reference, it’s a rollercoaster. He started off his rookie year with a 4.2 WAR in 41 games (20 starts) for the Kansas City Royals, and followed it up with a bunch of mediocre seasons, flipping back and forth from a starter to a reliever.
2025 was the official breakout season for the 30-year-old. He tallied a 2.07 ERA in 68 relief appearances across 69.2 innings, allowing just 16 earned runs all season and striking out 75 hitters while walking just 22. He had a 187 ERA+ and was one of the best late-inning relievers in the sport for a contending Chicago club.
Sometimes, stats don’t show it all. In Keller’s case last season, the underlying stats were even better than the surface ones. He was in the 88th percentile in fastball velo, averaging at 97.1. He was in the 76th percentile in chase rate, with his sweeper being the main cause. Hitters barreled up Keller just 5.8% of the time, the 86th percentile. He was in the 99th percentile in hard-hit% at just 30.6%, while being in the 95th percentile in GB%.
The move to a reliever role completely changed Keller’s career, but he took his arsenal with him. He’s a 5-pitch arm, using his 4-seam fastball 42% of the time. He flashes a slider and sweeper, along with a sinker and changeup.
This adds to a Phillies bullpen that was in need of another shutdown right-hander. Jhoan Duran was the best Phillies pickup in years, but there isn’t much else behind that. Nobody really knows what Orion Kerkering will be in 2026 after a devastating moment at Dodger Stadium.
The Phillies finally commited to giving a nasty reliever a multi-year deal, rather than just throwing a cheap dart at a bounceback guy on a 1-year deal.
Rumors have been swirling that the Phillies have taken calls on reliever Matt Strahm. I can’t imagine that’s changed with the addition of Keller to the bullpen. But as of now, the Phillies have a bullpen of Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller, Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks, and Orion Kerkering, and that’s pretty nasty.
From July 10th to the end of the regular season, Keller allowed just three earned runs. He’s now a member of the Phillies bullpen for the next two years.
Luke Arcaini writes about the Phillies for Crossing Broad, covers the Phillies for FOX Sports The Gambler, and co-hosts "Phillies Digest" on YouTube. The wave is the worst thing in all of sports. Contact: lukearcaini8@gmail.com