Guardians should reinforce their bullpen with this former divisional foe

Emmanuel Clase’s suspension is set to impact the Guardians in a variety of ways this winter. 

While they’re still on the hook for Clase’s salary, the front office has admitted that they’re operating as if Clase’s not going to be on the roster for 2026. 

And, as such, one of their priorities this offseason is likely going to be adding a high-leverage bullpen arm who could potentially work in the ninth inning — something that seemed unfathomable a year ago. 

Although Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Co. did a great job holding down the fort after Clase was suspended, they still need to bring in at least one more MLB-ready arm to help fill the Clase-sized hole in the bullpen. 

One of those options could come in the form of Brad Keller, who has turned himself into a bullpen ace after being a middling starting pitcher with the Kansas City Royals. 

Brad Keller would be the perfect fit in the back of the Guardians’ bullpen 

On May 11, 2018, Keller picked up his first major league win against the Guardians with three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. That set off a strong rookie season that ended with him as a staple in the Royals’ starting rotation. 

Unfortunately, that ended up being the high point of Keller’s time with the Royals. He pitched 165 1/3 innings out of the starting rotation in 2019 and had a 2.47 ERA in the truncated 2020 season, but his success mostly flew under the radar thanks to the Royals’ struggles. 

His production then fell off a cliff (5.39 ERA in 2021; 5.09 in 2022; 4.57 in 2023) before becoming a free agent after the 2023 season. He also had surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome late in that season. 

He posted a 5.44 ERA in 2024 across stints with the White Sox and Red Sox while primarily working as a reliever for the first time in his career, which ended up being a move that would help him in the long run. 

The Cubs signed him to a minor league contract last offseason with the thinking that he’d be a depth arm, but he made their Opening Day roster out of spring training and quickly evolved into one of the team’s most valuable relievers. 

In total, Keller posted a 2.07 ERA in 69 2/3 innings with the Cubs and was the team’s third-most valuable pitcher by measure of bWAR. Although he only picked up two saves in the regular season, he picked up two more saves in the postseason as the team’s closer. 

His fastball averaged 97 miles per hour (his career-high for a season) along with posting a 27.2% strikeout rate. 

Now he’s set to enter free agency and should have plenty of suitors (although he said he has a lot of interest in staying with the Cubs).

The Guardians should be one of them. They wouldn’t need Keller to work as a closer — that’s Cade Smith’s job — but he’d be a valuable high-leverage arm alongside Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski. Jakob Junis did a great job in the Guardians’ bullpen after the team took a one-year flier on him, and Keller would be able to follow in those footsteps. 

He also won’t break the bank either; MLB Trade Rumors projected that he'd earn a contract similar to the three-year, $33 million deals that Jeff Hoffman and Robert Stephenson signed in free agency. They were both failed starters who reinvented themselves as shutdown relievers. 

He also seems to be at home in Cleveland, as his 2.25 ERA at Progressive Field is his best at any ballpark that he’s pitched 13+ innings at. 

The Guardians have plenty of solid bullpen options for 2026, but the addition of Keller would make it one of the best units in baseball.