Could Brad Keller be the Braves next Reynaldo Lopez?

It’s difficult to argue against the notion that the Braves are hesitant to spend in free agency. Since Alex Anthopoulos took over as general manager, the largest contract they’ve handed out remains the four-year, $65 million deal to Marcell Ozuna, and that was half a decade ago.

The Braves have always prioritized creative value plays, particularly in free agency. One of the market inefficiencies they’ve been willing to exploit is signing relievers in their prime with the potential to be stretched out as starters. They attempted this exact strategy two offseasons ago with Reynaldo López, signing him to a three-year, $30 million deal.

López began his career as a starter with the White Sox, logging 65 starts from 2018–19. After struggling to find consistency, he transitioned full-time to the bullpen in 2022, and that’s when his career took off. Over the next two seasons, he appeared in 129 games with a stellar 3.02 ERA. That performance earned him his contract with Atlanta, but the Braves wasted no time giving him another shot in the rotation. López rewarded them with an All-Star campaign, posting a 1.99 ERA across 135.2 innings in 2024.

This year’s version of López could be Cubs standout Brad Keller.

Keller has spent most of his career as a starter, making 117 starts across eight seasons with mixed results. But Chicago moved him to the bullpen full-time in 2025, and the transformation was dramatic. Keller posted a 2.07 ERA with a 9.7 K/9 across 69.2 innings, instantly becoming one of the most intriguing arms on the market.

He’s always been a high-groundball pitcher, but the major change this season was velocity. His fastball, once living in the 93–94 mph range, jumped to an average of 97 mph. The strikeouts followed, and he still maintained one of the best groundball profiles in baseball. Now that he’s a free agent, Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports that teams are interested in him not only as a reliever, but as a potential starter as well.

It’s also worth noting that the Braves attempted this blueprint last offseason too. They reportedly had a multi-year agreement in place with Jeff Hoffman before a medical flag nixed the deal, ultimately sending him to Toronto. Hoffman never started a game for the Jays, posting a 4.37 ERA across 71 relief appearances.

Maybe that experience — along with López’s injury setbacks this season — will make Atlanta more cautious about stretching out another arm. But Keller checks a lot of boxes, whether the Braves view him as a high-leverage bullpen weapon or a rotation project with upside.

—