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Cubs To Select Brad Keller; Ben Brown To Be Fifth Starter

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The Cubs have informed Brad Keller that he has made the Cubs’ roster for domestic Opening Day. Manager Craig Counsell passed the news along to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Cubs will have to make a corresponding move to get him onto the 40-man. Also, per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, Ben Brown has won the final rotation spot over Colin Rea.

Keller, 29, pitched to a 4.22 ERA in 10 2/3 innings this spring but turned heads with improved velocity and sharper breaking pitches. He’ll grab a spot in the Chicago bullpen. Given his background as a starter and his 10 2/3 innings in just six appearances, he’ll give Counsell an option who can pitch multiple innings.

Keller was a Rule 5 pick by the Royals out of the D-backs system back in 2017, and for three years he was a solid, durable member of the Kansas City rotation. His effectiveness began to wane in 2021, however, and injuries plagued him in the coming seasons. By 2023, his command had completely eroded. He walked 45 batters in 45 1/3 innings before landing on the injured list. A series of tests eventually led to a thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis and season-ending surgery. He returned to the majors with the White Sox and Red Sox in 2024 but struggled in both spots.

The 25-year-old Brown came to the Cubs in the 2022 trade that shipped David Robertson to the Phillies. Brown made his big league debut last year, tossing 55 1/3 innings with a 3.58 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate, 38.7% grounder rate and 0.81 HR/9. He sits 96-97 mph with his four-seamer and couples that offering with a plus curveball. Brown has at times worked with a changeup in the minors as well but has deployed a two-pitch arsenal in the major thus far. He allowed a pair of runs in 2 2/3 innings versus the Dodgers in the Tokyo Series, but Brown also whiffed five of his 15 opponents there. Similarly, he’s allowed six runs in a small sample of eight spring frames but did so with a pristine 9-to-1 K/BB ratio.

Brown gets the nod over the veteran Rea, who’ll open the season in the bullpen after signing a one-year, $5MM deal in free agency this winter. The 34-year-old righty carries a 4.40 ERA in 292 innings for the Brewers across the past two seasons. He’s worked both as a starter and long reliever in that time. Rea may not start the year in the rotation, but it seems likely he’ll make a handful of starts as injuries and/or poor performance elsewhere in the rotation dictate the need for a fresh arm or even a more permanent replacement.

Rangers Outright Dane Dunning

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March 25: Dunning has been outrighted to Triple-A, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

March 23: The Rangers have placed right-hander Dane Dunning on outright waivers, according to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Notably, Dunning has not been designated for assignment and remains a member of the Rangers organization who can pitch in games and workout with the club while the process runs its course. Rival clubs will have 48 hours to claim Dunning off waivers, taking on the entirety of his $2.66MM salary for the 2025 campaign in the process. Should the righty clear waivers, the Rangers would then have the opportunity to outright Dunning off the 40-man roster and to the minor leagues, though they would be under no obligation to do so.

Dunning, 30, was a first-round pick by the Nationals in 2016 but was traded to the White Sox alongside Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez for outfielder Adam Eaton. Dunning became a consensus top-100 prospect ahead of the 2018 season but was sidelined by Tommy John surgery for the entirety of the 2019 season. He made his big league debut in 2020, making seven starts for the White Sox and pitching to a solid 3.97 ERA with a 3.99 FIP in those 34 innings of work. Dunning was then traded for the second time in his career, this time to the Rangers as part of the trade that sent Lance Lynn to Chicago.

The right-hander’s first two years in Texas painted him as a fairly run-of-the-mill back-end rotation arm. He posted a decent but unremarkable 4.48 ERA (93 ERA+) with a 4.28 FIP while soaking up 271 innings for the then-rebuilding Rangers, but he took a major step forward alongside the rest of the club during his age-28 season. That year, Dunning turned in solid, mid-rotation numbers as he made 35 appearances (26 starts) for Texas with a 3.70 ERA (116 ERA+) in 172 2/3 frames. While Dunning’s peripheral numbers, including a 4.27 FIP and a 19.4% strikeout rate, were nothing to write home about, the right-hander’s solid results seemed to leave him poised to continue acting as a solid back-of-the-rotation option for the Rangers for years to come.

Unfortunately, the wheels came off for Dunning in 2024. The right-hander struggled to the worst season of his career last year, splitting time between the rotation and bullpen as he posted a lackluster 5.31 ERA with a 5.17 FIP in 95 innings of work spread across 15 starts and 11 relief appearances. Dunning spent time in the minors as well last year, and his struggles continued at Triple-A Round Rock where he posted a a 5.28 ERA in 15 1/3 innings of work. In the majors, Dunning’s 21.6% strikeout rate was actually a couple of ticks better than it had been the year prior, but those gains were more than outweighed by a career-high 9.5% walk rate and a massive 10.9% barrel rate. That latter figure helped to contribute to a huge spike in home runs, as he surrendered 18 long balls in 95 frames after allowing just 20 in the prior year’s 172 2/3 innings of work.

That difficult season left Dunning in a somewhat precarious position entering the offseason, though he eventually agreed to a pre-tender deal with the Rangers worth $2.66MM back in November. Since then, however, the Rangers have pressed up against the lower limit of the luxury tax; RosterResource currently projects them for a luxury tax payroll of roughly $235MM this year, just $6MM under the first $241MM threshold. The club has made it abundantly clear this winter that ducking under the luxury tax is a top priority for them this winter and, given that, it’s easy to imagine that shedding Dunning’s salary could offer the club a bit of extra breathing room in a year where their pitching depth is being tested to the point of bringing in veteran lefty Patrick Corbin to help eat innings.

While Dunning himself could be relied upon to do the same in theory, he’s looked rough in Spring Training this year with an 8.18 ERA and four home runs allowed in just 11 innings of work. If the Rangers are uncertain about his ability to contribute in even a long relief role at this point, perhaps the best outcome for all sides would be Dunning getting claimed by a rebuilding club like the Marlins or White Sox where he can have more of a leash to figure out his issues. Another possibility could be joining the rotation mix of a club like the Yankees that has seen its rotation ravaged by injuries and is currently relying on options like Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco who arguably offer even less certainty than Dunning. Should Dunning clear waivers unclaimed, the Rangers will be able to decide whether to carry him on the Opening Day roster as initially expected or outright him off the 40-man roster and to the minor leagues to make room for another arm.

Mickey Gasper, DaShawn Keirsey Make Twins’ Roster; Twins Exploring Bullpen Market

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March 25: Castellano has cleared waivers and been returned to the Phillies, per Nightengale.

March 24: The Twins optioned infielder/outfielder Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul this morning, per a team announcement. They’ve also informed catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper and outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. that they’ll break camp on the Opening Day roster, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. That sequence likely locks infielder Edouard Julien into the final spot on the position-player side of the roster.

Gasper, 29, came to the Twins in a December trade sending lefty reliever Jovani Moran back to the Red Sox. He has just 18 MLB plate appearances to his credit, but Gasper is a .317/.422/.498 hitter in 70 Triple-A games and a .276/.401/.455 batter in 176 Double-A games. He’s had a big camp, batting .308/.417/.487 with more walks than strikeouts. Gasper’s status was briefly up in the air after an infield collision yesterday resulted in a laceration on his ankle that required six stitches. He’s patched up and been cleared to start the season on a big league roster for the first time in an eight-year professional career.

Like Gasper, the 27-year-old Keirsey is a 2018 draftee who’s making his first Opening Day roster. He hit .275/.375/.375 this spring and is coming off a .300/.368/.476 performance in Triple-A last year. Keirsey is a plus runner and outfield defender who can handle all three slots. He made a brief big league debut last year, getting into six games and going 2-for-13 with a homer in that debut effort.

The pitching side is largely set, but Minnesota does appear to have one bullpen vacancy, at least in the short term. Righty Brock Stewart was already on the mend from arthroscopic shoulder surgery and also suffered a hamstring strain in camp. He’ll start the 2025 season on the injured list alongside Michael Tonkin, who’s dealing with a shoulder strain.

On top of Stewart’s injury, the Twins have already informed Rule 5 pick Eiberson Castellano that he won’t make the club. He’ll presumably be placed on waivers soon if he hasn’t been already. Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune adds that they’ve also told non-roster relievers Scott Blewett and Anthony Misiewicz that they won’t make the club. Both will head to Triple-A.

Both Nightengale and Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggest Minnesota could look to bring in a reliever who’s not currently a part of the organization. There’s space to place a waiver claim or scoop up a veteran who’d been a non-roster invitee with another club but has since opted out. Jalen Beeks, Adam Ottavino, Drew Pomeranz, Ross Stripling and Jake Woodford are among the names who were recently granted their release after triggering opt-out clauses. Righty Tyler Phillips was DFA by the Phillies over the weekend, too.

Reds Select Ian Gibaut

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The Reds announced that they have selected right-hander Ian Gibaut to their roster. They had a 40-man vacancy after recently returning Rule 5 pick Cooper Bowman to the Athletics, so no corresponding move is necessary today.

Gibaut, 31, is no stranger to Cincinnati. He’s spent the past two and a half seasons in a Reds uniform and has logged a bit more than three quarters of his 147 career innings with them. He was non-tendered back in November but quickly returned on a minor league deal and has pitched his way back into the bullpen with a solid spring effort. In 11 innings, the righty allowed five runs on 13 hits and three walks with 12 strikeouts (4.09 ERA).

In his two-plus seasons as a Red, Gibaut has logged a 3.77 earned run average. That’s come in a sample of 112 1/3 frames, and he’s struck out 24.5% of opponents against a 9.8% walk rate along the way. He’s not likely to land in many high-leverage spots, but he’ll join Taylor Rogers, Emilio Pagan, Scott Barlow, Graham Ashcraft, Sam Moll, Tony Santillan and Brent Suter in rounding out the Opening Day bullpen for manager Terry Francona’s first year at the helm in Cincinnati.

Gibaut has 3.077 years of big league service time, meaning he’s controllable for two years beyond the current season if the Reds choose to retain him via arbitration. He’s out of minor league options, so he’d need to pass through waivers before he could be sent to Triple-A. Even if he were to clear, Gibaut could reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Giants Designate David Villar For Assignment

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The Giants announced Tuesday that infielder David Villar has been designated for assignment in order to open a roster spot for Lou Trivino, whose contract has been selected. Trivino will make San Francisco’s Opening Day roster.

The writing has been on the wall for the out-of-options Villar for some time. The Giants extended Matt Chapman late last year, blocking Villar at third base. He’s struggled in limited big league playing time and isn’t a backup option at shortstop like fellow infielders Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely — both of whom also have minor league options remaining.

That has led to the perception that Villar has been essentially auditioning for other clubs this spring, but he didn’t do much to help his cause on that front. He struck out in 36.7% of his plate appearances and hit .200/.265/.444 in Cactus League play.

Now that he’s been designated for assignment, the Giants will have five days to see if any club has trade interest. The DFA limbo period can last a week but the waiver process can take 48 hours, leaving five days for trade talks.

In addition to that poor showing this spring, Villar has hit .170/.243/.346 over the past two major league seasons while striking out 32.8% of the time. For any club to be interested, they would have to look past that. He had a strong showing in 2022, putting up a .231/.331/.455 line. Though even then, he was punched out at a 32% clip. He has also continued to hit in Triple-A, even while struggling in the big leagues. He slashed .265/.365/.465 at that level over the past two seasons. He struck out 26.1% of the time in that span but also drew walks at a 12.7% clip.

The strikeouts are a concern but Villar can bounce around to the non-shortstop infield positions and has less than a year of service time. If some club were willing to take a shot and then got a breakout, they could theoretically control him through the 2030 season.

As for Trivino, the 33-year-old reliever has some good work on his track record but has been beset by injuries for a while. In his 284 2/3 innings, he has allowed 3.86 earned runs per nine. His 10.6% walk rate is a bit high but he has punched out 24.5% of batters faced while getting grounders on 47.4% of balls in play.

He hasn’t pitched in a big league game since 2022, however. He underwent Tommy John surgery early in 2023, wiping out that season. In 2024, further elbow inflammation and a shoulder issue prevented him from getting back on the mound.

That meant he had to settle for a minor league deal with the Giants, one that came with a reported salary of $1.5MM if he made the team. He made the decision fairly easy for the club by throwing 9 1/3 scoreless innings in the spring. His four walks were a bit much but perhaps not surprising for a guy who missed the past two seasons. He also struck out 10 opponents and got grounders at a 55.6% clip.

Mariners Select Rowdy Tellez

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The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of first baseman Rowdy Tellez. The roster already had a couple of vacancies from losing Seth Martinez off waivers and releasing Mitch Haniger. Their 40-man count goes from 38 to 39 with the Tellez move. Now that he’s been added to the 40-man roster, Tellez will earn a $1.5MM salary, as reported by Jack Magruder for MLB.com.

Tellez, who turned 30 during camp, signed a minor league deal in late February and has mashed his way into the team’s plans with a big spring performance. He’s tallied 50 plate appearances across 16 games and turned in a .298/.320/.574 batting line with three homers and four doubles. He’s only drawn one walk, but he’s also fanned a reasonable nine times (18%).

That performance from Tellez, coupled with a brutal spring from Haniger, forced the Mariners to cut ties with Haniger — a player the organization is very fond of but whose contract has become an albatross in the wake of a series of career-altering injuries. Haniger, if healthy and productive, would’ve been a favorite for playing time at DH and occasionally in right field. Instead, Tellez will now see ample time at designated hitter and likely log some games at first base in a timeshare with Luke Raley.

Tellez has had an up-and-down career, delivering huge production in both 2020 and 2022 but also posting several below-average years at the plate. He popped 35 homers with the Brewers in ’22 but has followed that up with 772 plate appearance and a .231/.295/.385 slash in the two years since (85 wRC+). The Mariners have been searching high and low for reliable power bats for years, however, as their home environment at T-Mobile Park is the least hitter-friendly venue in the sport. Tellez will bring significant power but a mercurial, at best, track record to the lineup as the M’s look to return to the postseason after last year’s narrow miss and continue to build on the late-season offensive gains they enjoyed following a shuffle of the dugout staff.

Leiter, Rocker, Pillar Make Rangers’ Roster; Carter Optioned To Triple-A

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The Rangers are moving closer to setting their Opening Day roster. They’ll break camp with touted young righties Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker in the rotation, president of baseball operations Chris Young revealed to the team’s beat (link via Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports). Veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar, who’d been a non-roster invitee in camp, will also make the club, while young outfielder and former top prospect Evan Carter is being optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Leiter and Rocker have now made the improbable rise from college teammates and top draft prospects at Vanderbilt to members of the same big league rotation. The path to get there was far rockier than most would’ve anticipated, though. Leiter was selected No. 2 overall in 2021 and has struggled with his command and susceptibility to home runs throughout his pro career. He posted an ERA north of 8.00 through 35 2/3 innings in last year’s MLB debut.

Rocker “fell” to the No. 10 pick after Leiter went to the Rangers but didn’t end up signing with the Mets, who raised concern over the state of Rocker’s elbow. Rather than return to college, Rocker pitched on the independent circuit and reentered the draft the following summer. Rocker’s stock was considered by most to be down considerably, so much so that it was a genuine shock to see Texas select him third overall. Less than a year later, Rocker required Tommy John surgery. The “Vandy Boys” collective stock had plummeted.

Fast forward, and it’s an entirely different story. Rocker looked outstanding across three minor league levels in his return from surgery and impressed enough to make his MLB debut late last year. Leiter has been the talk of Rangers camp, brandishing better velocity and sharper stuff en route to a 3.48 ERA in 20 2/3 Cactus League frames.

Even with strong spring performances, it would’ve been hard to envision both pitchers breaking camp. Multiple injuries paved the way for that to take place, however. Jon Gray broke his wrist when he was struck by a comebacker. Cody Bradford is sidelined by elbow soreness and won’t throw for a few weeks. Leiter and Rocker impressed enough that both will now begin the season in Bruce Bochy’s rotation. Given injury risks with rotation-mates Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle, it’s feasible that either could stick even when Gray and/or Bradford are healthy. Certainly, both young righties will have the opportunity to claim long-term spots on the staff.

Carter, 22, was a late-season revelation for the Rangers during their World Series-winning 2023 campaign. The 2020 second-rounder, then considered one of the sport’s top all-around prospects, debuted with a .306/.413/.645 slash in 23 games/75 plate appearances down the stretch and posted similarly excellent numbers in 72 postseason trips to the plate. Injuries hobbled Carter in 2024, however, leading to a disappointing .188/.272/.361 output in 188 plate appearances. He’s posted rough numbers in camp, too, slashing .154/.214/.205 in 42 turns at the dish.

The 36-year-old Pillar is batting .238/.292/.333 this spring. He’ll serve a backup role in the outfield, potentially platooning with Leody Taveras in center and/or logging some at-bats at designated hitter against left-handed pitching. Pillar hit .229/.291/.377 for the White Sox and Angels last season and is a career .255/.293/.406 hitter in parts of a dozen big league seasons.

Angels To Release Mickey Moniak

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The Angels are releasing outfielder Mickey Moniak, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The former No. 1 pick won an arbitration hearing against the team earlier this winter, securing a $2MM salary in the process. However, salaries awarded in an arbitration hearing are only partially guaranteed, so the team will only owe 45 days of termination pay — just under one-quarter of his salary (about $484K).

It’s a moderate surprise, if only because the Angels chose to tender a contract to Moniak back in November. He looked to have a real chance at being non-tendered after batting just .219/.266/.380 in 414 plate appearances last year, but once the Halos made the decision to keep him, it seemed likely he’d open with the club — particularly in the wake of Mike Trout’s move from center field to right field. Moniak’s bleak .173/.224/.346 slash this spring couldn’t have helped his standing, however, and the Angels will apparently go with the cost-saving route rather than hope Moniak can bounce back to his 2023 form, when he hit .280/.307/.495.

Moniak never seemed likely to fully replicate that production in subsequent seasons. It was a solid-looking line on the surface, but he struck out in 35% of his plate appearances that season and needed a colossal .397 average on balls in play to get to that production. He was an obvious regression candidate, though perhaps not to the extent we saw in 2024 and so far this spring.

With Moniak no longer on the roster, former top prospect Jo Adell looks to have center field to himself. He’ll be flanked by Taylor Ward in left and Trout in right. The Angels don’t have prototypical fourth outfielder now, though infielder/corner outfielder Matthew Lugo could add another option if he makes the roster. Trout, of course, can occasionally serve as a backup in center if Adell is out of the lineup, and it remains possible that the Halos add another center field option between now and Opening Day as teams make their final waves of cuts.

Cavan Biggio Expected To Make Royals’ Roster

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The Royals announced a wide slate of cuts this morning. Infielder Harold Castro, righty Taylor Clarke, catcher Brian O’Keefe and infielder Tyler Tolbert were all reassigned to minor league camp. All were non-roster invitees. Meanwhile, infielder Nick Loftin and outfielders Drew Waters and Joey Wiemer were optioned to Triple-A Omaha. That leaves just 26 players in camp — one of whom is non-roster utilityman Cavan Biggio. Barring an injury in today’s final Cactus League game, he’ll be selected to the 40-man roster and break camp with the team. The Royals already have a pair of 40-man vacancies, so a corresponding move won’t be necessary.

It’s been a strange spring for Biggo. The longtime Blue Jays infielder is hitting just .194 in his 46 plate appearances, but he’s struck out only six times (13%) and drawn a whopping 11 walks (23.9%). He’s sitting on an oddball .194/.457/.355 line overall. Biggio has long been renowned for his patience at the plate, having drawn a walk in 13.5% of his career plate appearances in the majors.

Biggio’s keen eye and the small-sample improvement in his contact skills — he’s fanned in 32% of his plate appearances — coupled with his defensive versatility to put him in position for an Opening Day spot in Kansas City. He can feasibly mix in at second base, third base and in the outfield corners.

The Royals will also cycle Jonathan India, Michael Massey, Maikel Garcia, MJ Melendez and Hunter Renfroe through those spots and at designated hitter. Garcia is coming off a rough year at the plate. Massey hasn’t quite cemented himself as a regular. India will play multiple positions. Melendez still hasn’t hit in the majors. Renfroe struggled in 2024. Each of those players has some level of uncertainty, and Biggio will add a typically serviceable, OBP-focused backup or complement to the group.

The 29-year-old Biggio (30 in April) is looking for a rebound of his own. He’s coming off an ugly .197/.314/.303 batting line (84 wRC+) in 224 plate appearances between the Jays, Dodgers and Braves last year. He turned in a solid .235/.340/.370 line in 338 trips to the plate as recently as 2023 in Toronto, however.

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