The Philadelphia Phillies have already taken meaningful steps early in the offseason, highlighted by re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a massive five-year, $150 million contract and bringing in Adolis García on a one-year deal worth $10 million. Both additions strengthen the middle of the lineup and give the club a solid foundation as it looks ahead to another championship run.
Still, Philadelphia’s work is far from finished. If the organization hopes to break through and make a deeper postseason push in 2026, there are remaining roster gaps that must be addressed. One of the most pressing areas has been the bullpen, which at times struggled to provide consistency. That need appears to be getting attention, as The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reports the Phillies are finalizing a significant relief pitching addition.
According to Gelb, Philadelphia is close to completing a two-year, $22 million contract with right-handed reliever Brad Keller, who most recently pitched for the Chicago Cubs. The move represents a notable investment in late-inning stability and signals that the front office is serious about upgrading its relief corps.
Keller, now 30, has taken an unconventional path to this payday. He originally broke into the majors as a starting pitcher with the Kansas City Royals, where he showed flashes of promise before his performance began to decline. Between 2021 and 2023, Keller posted a combined 5.14 ERA across 72 appearances, most of them starts. His struggles continued in 2024, when he split time between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox and finished the season with a 5.44 ERA.
Everything changed after Keller joined the Cubs in 2025 and fully transitioned into a bullpen role. He delivered the best season of his career, recording a 2.07 ERA over 68 games. He struck out 75 hitters in 69.2 innings and posted an impressive 0.962 WHIP, establishing himself as a reliable late-inning option. A noticeable jump in fastball velocity, roughly four miles per hour compared to the previous year, helped fuel his breakout.
Philadelphia is clearly betting that version of Keller is real. Committing $22 million to a reliever is a substantial move, but the Phillies believe they are adding a dependable setup arm to work alongside closer Jhoan Duran over the next two seasons.
With Duran anchoring the ninth inning and Keller providing support in high-leverage situations, the Phillies’ bullpen is shaping up to be one of the stronger units in baseball. Dave Dombrowski’s aggressive approach suggests more moves could follow as Philadelphia continues to build toward another serious World Series push.