"Boston was a blessing to my career": Cubs' Brad Keller firmly in mix for bullpen role

03/24/2025 07:58 PM

MESA, Ariz. — Right-hander Brad Keller made a heck of a last impression in his lone inning in the Cubs' 13-4 spring loss Monday to the Braves.

He pitched a 1-2-3 inning that he capped by striking out Braves star Matt Olson and has 13 strikeouts in 11‰ innings spanning seven spring outings. The uptick in his velocity has stood out and is more than the Cubs envisioned when they signed him to a minor-league deal this offseason.

Keller, who is battling for a spot in the Cubs' bullpen, was able to revitalize his career because of changes he made after signing with the Red Sox last season.

The Red Sox introduced Keller to drills that helped him tighten his delivery and use his legs more. Seeing the results of the changes pay immediate dividends helped convince him to stick with them through the offseason.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was an executive in the Cubs' front office in 2019-23, so there were similarities in the pitching philosophies of the franchises.

''Boston was honestly a blessing to my career,'' Keller, 29, told the Sun-Times. ''They gave me goals that I thought were pretty tangible stuff that I could achieve every time. After every outing, we'd sit down and say, 'Did we reach our goals for that outing?' That was the first time in my career I've ever sat down and dove into analytics.''

It's surprising a veteran such as Keller hadn't previously worked with analytics in a numbers-obsessed industry. But maybe it was serendipitous that he joined the Red Sox after being jettisoned by the White Sox after only five appearances last season.

''I was at a crossroads where it's like, 'I need to get better,' '' he said. '' 'I can't keep doing the same thing.' ''

Keller has had some previous success in the majors as a back-of-the-rotation starter and reliever. Seeing his uptick in velocity — he said his fastball has topped out at 98.1 mph this spring — intrigued the Cubs to sign him.

''Going to the offseason and signing him, there were a couple of successful seasons in the major leagues and there [were] some struggles,'' manager Craig Counsell said. ''And those guys are always interesting because they've had success in the league. You try to make some suggestions and some development opportunities [and] see if something can click.''

Keller mentioned the Cubs want him to be more horizontal with his sweeper. He said he's learning how to digest the analytics best and how to determine which statistics to give more weight to.

''I was telling the guys that it's one thing to go and work on stuff, but until you see results, it's frustrating,'' Keller said. ''When I was over with Boston, I saw results and could carry that in the offseason and build on many things that we learned over there. When I got here, the message was very similar.''

Counsell said the Cubs see Keller as a reliever. He acknowledged they have to be careful with him because of his history of shoulder injuries, but he also said, ''We're interested in the velocity in shorter stints.'' Given the Cubs' bullpen woes last season, Keller's added velocity might be a useful weapon for them.

''I've learned fairly young that if you try to control those things, it most likely goes the wrong way,'' Keller said. ''Let [the Cubs] make the tough decisions. However the pieces fall, they fall.''