Cubs are treating one veteran pitcher as if he has already made the Opening Day roster

Some non-roster invites aren't like the others. While the Chicago Cubs do not have the formality of Roki Sasaki being a non-roster invite the way the Los Angeles Dodgers currently do, there is a veteran pitcher among their mix of flyers who is seemingly already on track to making the Opening Day roster.

Veteran Brad Keller has been among the most impressive stories on the Cubs' roster during Cactus League play. Outside of an appearance against the Cleveland Guardians this past weekend, Keller has been lights out for the Cubs during spring training.

With Javier Assad expected to open the season on IL, and Jordan Wicks likely earmarked for Triple-A Iowa's pitching staff to open the season, Keller has a strong chance of making the Cubs' Opening Day roster. Even without those set of circumstances, it seems that the Cubs had a plan for Keller to pitch at the Major League level for them this season.

While detailing the process of the Cubs signing Keller to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic shared that Craig Counsell was involved in the recruitment effort. No, Keller wasn't hosting teams like Sasaki was this offseason, but the Cubs manager was part of a video conference with the veteran pitcher. Mooney also notes that teams across Major League Baseball have already expressed interest in Keller, who will earn $1.5MM in 2025 if he is on the Cubs' roster.

Brad Keller could be the new swingman in the Chicago Cubs' bullpen

Splitting the 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox, Keller posted a 5.44 ERA in 16 appearances. While only Cactus League play, Keller's 21.4 strikeout percentage and 3.6 walk percentage are vast improvements from where they were with the White Sox and Red Sox.

With Drew Smyly no longer a part of the Cubs' pitching staff, it would seem that Keller has the pathway to becoming the swingman out of the team's bullpen. With an uptick in velocity during Cactus League player, Keller could be an ideal change-of-pace pitcher coming out of the Cubs' bullpen. That sentiment would hold especially true if Ben Brown were to take Assad's spot in the starting rotation to open the season.