NL East rival lands key Cubs reliever that fans might miss come October

Brad Keller won't be returning to the Chicago Cubs. While the Cubs have maintained an interest in bringing Keller back throughout the offseason, the ace of the 2025 bullpen has landed a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

As was the case with Drew Pomeranz, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels, the Cubs were playing with house money when it came to Keller's success last season. Keller was a priority minor-league signing for the Cubs last offseason, and he turned into one of Craig Counsell's most trusted high-leverage arms, including closing out games during the team's playoff run.

Brad Keller lands a multi-year deal while the Cubs continue their search for a closer.

In 68 appearances with the Cubs last year, Keller posted a 2.07 ERA while striking out over 27% of the hitters he faced. Given the success he had in Chicago and previous experience as a starting pitcher, some teams were interested in him for a potential move to their starting rotation. For the Phillies, it would seem that Keller continues to serve as an arm out of the bullpen.

Confirmation that Keller won't be back for 2026 should heighten the Cubs' urgency to find a veteran capable of closing games for their bullpen. After the signings of Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, and Caleb Thielbar, the Cubs' bullpen is certainly more stable than it was at the start of the offseason. Though, as it stands, Daniel Palencia is the only one with extended closing experience--and even in that case, it was only last season.

The Athletic's (subscription required) Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma report that the Cubs remain in search of a closer this offseason. While mentioning the Cubs' failed pursuits of Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, and Emilio Pagan, the Cubs' beat writers mention that former Tampa Bay Rays' closer Pete Fairbanks remains on the team's radar.

Other names the Cubs might consider are Luke Weaver and Evan Phillips. In Phillips' case, he is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't be ready until closer to the second half of the season.

As the Cubs discovered last October, they will need capable options to close out games if their closer from Opening Day is no longer part of the plan. They've done nice work this offseason in reconstructing the bullpen, but their work shouldn't be done.