By the end of the year, there was nobody Chicago Cubs fans (or manager Craig Counsell) wanted on the mound more with the game on the line than Brad Keller.
The 30-year-old right-hander turned in a breakout campaign on the North Side in 2025, making a career-high 68 appearances while working to an impressive 2.07 ERA and 2.93 FIP to go along with a personal-best 9.7 K/9. Since the season ended, there has been mutual interest in a reunion between Keller and the Cubs, but given how his market is shaping up, that seems less likely by the day.