The Phillies seem to love last minute shopping, as they made another signing the week before Christmas. This time, they reportedly agreed to a two year deal with former starter-turned-reliever Brad Keller
who had a career year out of the bullpen for the Cubs in 2025. He’ll join a strong bullpen mix that includes Johan Duran, José Alvarado, Orion Kerkering, and Matt Strahm, assuming Strahm isn’t traded of course.
On to the links.
Phillies news:
- Matt Gelb of the Athletic was the first to report the Keller signing. ($)
- The Phillies know they have their work cut out for them with Adolis Garcia. Here’s why they believe they can help him regain his form. ($)
- Conversely, Michael Baumann of FanGraphs explains why that bet on Garcia may not be such a good idea.
- Jay Jaffe continues his look at the Hall of Fame ballot, this time discussing the candidacy of Bobby Abreu and Jimmy Rollins.
MLB news:
- The Mets got in on the reliever signing fun as well, reportedly landing Luke Weaver on a two year deal.
- The Braves have reportedly added former catcher Martin Maldonado to their organization in a special advisor role.
- Playing matchmaker for the remaining top free agents, including Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker. ($)
- A minor league team owned by the grandson of Bill Veeck and actor Bill Murray will play in the prison featured in the “Blues Brothers” movie.
