AL Central arm who rebounded out of nowhere should be on Orioles’ offseason radar

Brad Keller was a staple on the Kansas City Royals' pitching staff to open his Major League career, spending his first six seasons in Kansas City. Keller flashed potential during his run with the Royals, but never quite had the consistency that cemented his spot in the starting rotation. After a forgetful 2024 campaign with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox, Keller snuck his way into spring training with the Cubs this past season as a non-roster invite.

The Cubs have made a habit of turning rejected arms into bullpen success stories, and that turned out to be the case for Keller in 2025. Keller quickly emerged as one of the most trusted high-leverage relief pitchers in Craig Counsell's bullpen, and he finished the season with a 2.07 ERA in just under 70 innings pitched.

The Cubs tweaked Keller's grip with his fastball, adding nearly 3 mph. With a fastball that flirted with triple digits throughout the season, Keller suddenly became an elite swing-and-miss pitcher. Keller struck out 27% of the hitters he faced during his time with the Cubs, well above his career average of 17.9%.

Keller was so good that the Cubs would love to have him back, but he may have pitched himself into a tier of relievers Chicago rarely reaches--veterans seeking a multi-year deal.

Brad Keller is the hidden free-agent relief pitcher that would be perfect for the Baltimore Orioles.

In a free-agent class that includes Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, Edwin Diaz, and Robert Suarez, among other names, Keller likely doesn't jump out to teams in need of a relief pitcher. That could benefit the Orioles, who have a history of avoiding spending top dollar for free-agent relief pitchers. During their free agent predictions, MLB Trade Rumors handed out a contract projection of three years for $36MM for Keller.

The Orioles began reconstructing their bullpen last week, getting Andrew Kittredge back from the Cubs. The work is just beginning. If the Orioles plan on contending in 2026, they have to replace most of the arms who were dealt at the MLB trade deadline in July. Add in the fact that Felix Bautista could miss the entire season, and adding someone like Keller would provide much-needed stability for the unit.