Toronto Blue Jays interested in free agent reliever Brad Keller
Photo credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
The Toronto Blue Jays have shown interest in free agent reliever Brad Keller
The Blue Jays have been busy adding to their rotation this offseason but they're not necessarily done.
According to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi, the Blue Jays are still open to adding more starting options, with right-hander Brad Keller one guy they have interest in.
The addition of Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce to a rotation consisting of Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and Jose Berrios, with Eric Lauer, Bowden Francis, Ricky Tiedemann and others in the mix as well for a solid foundation.
It was reported this week that Bieber dealt with forearm fatigue late in the 2025 campaign and is now questionable for Opening Day 2026.
Berrios was bumped from the rotation late in the season and also wound up on the injured list with an elbow injury.
He appears to be healthy now but there may be some discontent there and the Blue Jays are reportedly open to trading him.
Keller has been working as a high-leverage reliever with the Cubs in 2025
The Blue Jays will continue to be linked to the top relievers, but the one name that keeps coming up, which I find interesting, is Brad Keller. He's coming off a career year as a reliever, his first full season in the pen. He suppressed hard contact and HRs at an elite rate.
Keller is a logical target for the Jays, and many other clubs, since he could be deployed either out of the rotation or the bullpen.
If the Jays were to sign him, his role could depend on his own performance as well as future moves, the health of Bieber, and various other factors.
Earlier in his career, Keller was a decent starter for the Royals. He didn't get a ton of strikeouts but he got opponents to hit the ball into the the ground.
Could the Blue Jays sign Brad Keller as a starter?
From 2018 to 2020, he posted a 3.50 earned average with a 16.8% strikeout rate and 52.1% ground ball rate.
He then endured a few years of struggle, with a 5.14 ERA from 2021 to 2023.
He underwent surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome in October of 2023. He returned to action in 2024 but without much success, posting a 5.44 ERA as a swingman.
In 2025, he got a relief role with the Cubs and ran with it. He logged 69 2/3 innings on the year overall with a tiny ERA of 2.07.
His 56.1% ground ball rate was in his usual range but he also managed to punch out 27.2% of batters he faced, almost double his early-career rate.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 11 | 133 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays interested in free agent reliever Brad Keller Would Brad Keller make a good addition to the Blue Jays rotation or bullpen? | ||
| Rotation | 21 | 15.8 % |
| Bullpen | 112 | 84.2 % |
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