Cubs watch Guardians give a neglected bullpen project a second chance

Injuries forced the Chicago Cubs to sift through a number of arms for their pitching staff throughout the 2026 season, including the team taking a flier on former Milwaukee Brewers second-round pick Antoine Kelly. With a fastball in the upper-90s and flashes of missing bats consistently, Kelly was the typical low-risk, high-reward project that Jed Hoyer often seeks during the season.

Kelly made all but one appearance for the Cubs, tossing a near-perfect inning and a third against the New York Yankees on July 31. It was right before the deadline, and right before the Cubs were getting injured arms back, so he was quickly forced out of the picture. By the end of the season, he was among the minor-league veterans to elect free agency.

In 24 appearances with the Iowa Cubs this year, Kelly posted an ERA of 4.25 while striking out over 25% of the hitters he faced. The problem was with his command, considering he was walking over 15% of the hitters he faced. Ultimately, that's been the primary issue that has followed him throughout his career. If Kelly can even figure out the command issues, there's a real chance that he sticks in a major-league bullpen.

Cubs may have handed Guardians an intriguing bullpen reclamation project

Given the fastball velocity and flirtation with elite swing-and-miss production in the minors, it was only a matter of time before a team took a gamble on him this offseason. That team was the Cleveland Guardians, who inked Kelly to a minor-league deal on Monday.

Similar to the Tampa Bay Rays, whenever the Cleveland Guardians take a flier on a pitcher, you wonder if they may have caught something the Cubs missed? The Guardians have been a pitching factory over the past decade, and while the Cubs poached Carter Hawkins from Cleveland with the hope that he could bring that level of pitching success to Chicago, it hasn't happened.

Though, the Cubs have found success with some buy-low projects, even if Kelly never quite got the same runway as others. Ryan Rolison emerged as the go-to left-handed option out of the bullpen last year, and they also success with Trent Thornton. There should be more opportunities for the Cubs to find a buy-low play or two this offseason, but the hope is those are the moves that happen after the lockout. Between now and December 1, the Cubs need to focus on adding established expectations to their pitching staff.

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