Chiba Lotte Marines Set to Sign Longtime Kansas City Royals Pitcher Brad Keller

After splitting 2024 between the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox, former Kansas City Royals pitcher Brad Keller is heading to Japan to replace Roki Sasaki in the Chiba Lotte Marines' rotation.

May 10, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller (56) on the mound during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Right-handed pitcher Brad Keller is signing with Nippon Professional Baseball's Chiba Lotte Marines, Yakyu Cosmopolitan reported Saturday.

The news came less than a day after the Marines announced they would be posting starting pitcher Roki Sasaki to MLB free agency this winter. The 23-year-old righty made two All-Star appearances with Chiba Lotte before electing to leave Japan behind.

Keller, 29, may be joining the Marines just as Sasaki walks out the door, but that does not place the two on equal ground.

Source: RHP Brad Keller is heading to the Lotte Marines.

The 29-year-old has 720 innings of MLB experience with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox. pic.twitter.com/T4OCtvGLGO

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) November 10, 2024

Back in 2018, Keller showed out as a rookie with the Kansas City Royals. He went 9-6 with a 3.08 ERA and 4.2 WAR, making 20 starts and 21 relief appearances.

Keller kept up the good work in 2019 and 2020, going 12-17 with a 3.76 ERA and 4.8 WAR across 220.0 innings of work. That's where the good times ended for Keller, though, as his production went into a tailspin in each ensuing season.

After Keller posted ERAs over 5.00 in 2021 and 2022, he missed most of 2023 due to right shoulder impingement syndrome. The Royals let Keller walk last offseason, and he went on to join the Chicago White Sox.

Despite the White Sox stringing together the worst season MLB has seen in generations, Keller couldn't cut it on their pitching staff either. He was released into free agency in May, then spent the rest of the year on and off the Boston Red Sox's active roster.

Keller finished the 2024 regular season 0-4 with a 5.44 ERA, 1.534 WHIP and -0.3 WAR. That is a far cry from the 2.02 ERA and 0.883 WHIP that Sasaki gave the Marines over the last four seasons, even if it isn't exactly a fair comparison.

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