Chicago Cubs’ surprising unsung hero may be gone after this season

Brought into spring training as a non-roster invitee, the then-29-year-old Keller showcased more than a bit of the brilliance that he had occasionally touched upon over the previous seven years in his major league career.

Thought to be little more than a depth piece by most, Keller surprised just about everyone, except manager Craig Counsell, who reportedly played a pivotal role in bringing him to the team. He even added upwards of 3.5 mph to his four-seam fastball en route to earning a spot on the Cubs’ 26-man roster.

Keller’s top notch spring training run has extended into the regular season. So far this year, in 54.1 innings over 51 appearances, he’s posting an impressive 2.48 ERA with 55 strikeouts vs. 16 walks and a 58.3% groundball rate.

Under-the-radar, but not unappreciated

On Saturday, filling in for an under-the-weather Daniel Palencia, he struck out the side in the ninth inning to close out the Cubs’ 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“If you’re not the closer, maybe, it doesn’t have a lot of fanfare on it, but Brad’s had an excellent season, a really valuable season for us,” Counsell told reporters after the game. “If there is such a thing as an unsung hero for this team so far, I would definitely nominate Brad for that…This is a different role for him starting this season and he’s responded really well to every challenge put in front of him…”

The rocky road here

Keller was drafted in the eighth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013, but was then selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, who proceeded to trade him to the Kansas City Royals.

He impressed in his 2018 rookie season, working as both a starter and a reliever, with a 3.08 ERA in 41 games.

He would eventually go on to earn a full-time starter gig with the Royals, but have diminishing success in that role after the Covid-shortened 2020 season. He was then put back in a swing man role before eventually becoming a free agent at the end of 2023. Last season, he delivered a 5.44 ERA in 16 games split between the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox.

He was brought to spring training by the Cubs as a non-roster invitee, eventually earning a roster spot in the bullpen and a modest $1.5 million contract. He’ll be a free agent once again at the end of this season and there’s zero doubt that his asking price will go up significantly.

“This is a pitcher who had big success in the league at a younger age,” Counsell told The Athletic back in late February. “I always take note of that. It’s in there. That’s the guy we want.”

And the Cubs got that guy they wanted. Now, the question turns to whether the team will pay the price to keep him.