Before the opening day, CUBS will soon rely on Brad Keller and Colin Rea

Phoenix – The national part of the season for Chicago Cubs begins in less than 24 hours. They will begin the list already in a 0-2 hole after dropping a couple in Japan at the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a season that will probably decide the future of the president of Team Jed Hoyer with the club, starting slowly will only bring more anxiety and discomfort to a group that was working hard to improve a list that won 83 games in the consecutive seasons.

However, although he has not been able to achieve any offseason goal he had, this is an updated team. Looking at the division, there are young talents in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the St. Louis Cardinals did not have the great Sell-off some expected and the Milwaukee Brewers are proving to be one of the most well-managed and consistent organizations in baseball.

However, in a year down for the NL Central, the CUBS Enters the season as perceived favorites.

Here are some observations on the final roster while the CUBS take to start a series of four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

Ben Brown was appointed the fifth appetizer was the news of the day Tuesday, but manager Craig Counsell also announced that the lifter Brad Keller did the team.

The Righty veteran had a strong spring, publishing an era 3.86 in 11 2/3 inning and, above all, hitting 28.9 percent of the bathers, walking only 4.4 percent and boasting a fast ball that regularly touched 97 miles per hour, together with a strong sliding.

“The stuff, point, has just distinguished itself as a high -end stuff,” said Counsell. “He created a little more than Swing-and-Miss, which is something we thought was there. That base ball was his base as an appetizer. Creating a little more than Swing-and-Miss with the basic ball is a good way to limit the damage and not to give up the races.”

Keller strikes 98 miles per hour and then follows him with a bad Strikeout by Matt Olson https://t.co/cr9tikkltr pic.twitter.com/kr5wdljt1i

– Aldo Soto (@Aldosoto21) March 24, 2025

At least in the spring, Keller was able to combine both skills, increasing the breath while keeping the ball on the ground at a rate of 50 %. Every offseason, the teams are looking for diamonds in a rough way to fill the bullpen. Collin Snider, Justin Slaten and Jeremiah Estrada were not on many radars last spring, and they were all brilliant by the bullpen for their respective teams in 2024.

The Cubs recruited Keller thinking about that type of advantage. In the spring, he opened his eyes and made the organization felt as if he could be to something. Now officially on the roster, it has the opportunity to stand out also in the regular season.

“He will play a different role from what has played his success, in the great championships,” said Counsell. “Maybe it was a part of the stuff that has sprung up. We are enthusiastic about the opportunity that Brad will offer.”

Keller will probably receive some multi-in outputs. This could be fundamental, especially to start the year, since some bullpen weapons are facing a disconnected increase after their regular spring training accumulation has been launched for a cycle due to the Tokyo series.

Instead of being in the range of 90 to 95 shots, beginners are probably more at 80-85 and rescuers did not get their regular work before the regular season.

“It’s just different for these guys,” said Counsell. “Most of them had two appearances in Japan and have two appearances since they came back. We have not launched back-to-back because of Japan. A couple of them touched the rubber on the back of the games.”

The launch coach Tommy Hottovy and the rest of the staff anticipated A sort of deloita For painkillers that return from Japan. Pointing the vast majority of them on Saturdays and Mondays, the Cubs gave them at least another routine “Pitch, off day, pitch” before the standard two days of rest before the opening day (domestic).

The key will be to find length in the bullpen to save everyone’s arms, while the season starts with seven games in seven days.

“I think that every year at the beginning of the season you have to manage workloads and be intelligent on workloads,” said Counsell. “This is where Colin has become really important here to help manage those first seven to 10 days of games.”

Rea largely launched an appetizer last season (148 inning 1/3 compared to 19 1/3 as a relief), but it will be expected that it will cover multiple roles for the CUBS this season. If he manages to eat more inning in several games the first week more than the season and do it effectively, it could be an incredibly precious part, if not heraldic, part of the staff.

“I think Colin Rea will do many departures,” said Counsell. “This is the role to start. The length in the bullpen is something that we really need, especially the first two times through the rotation.”

Unless something unexpected happens, Nico Hoerner will be ready to start against Diamondbacks.

“The feedback was (we) made the right decision by staying here,” said Counsell not to make the trip to Japan. “He needed that time – it was important. We are in a good place. This is the best way to say it.”

Hoerner immediately updates the defense to the second base and changes the way counsell will also look at the training. Counsell had Matt Shaw in the fifth beat in Japan against the Dodgers, but in Tuesday’s last melody for the season, Dansby Swanson was hitting the fifth, Hoerner Sesto and Shaw eighth, after Pete Crow-Arm.

It remains to be seen if this is the training that Counsell will go with Thursday, but he told journalists on Monday that Hoerner’s return made him think differently about how he would put everything together.

With Hoerner’s return, it seemed that the time of Gage Workman or Vidal Bruján was limited. But as often happens, the game has a way to make decisions for you.

“Bruján is fighting a little from the collision with the Saturday wall,” said Counsell. “So we are still evaluating that.”

Bruján’s direction to the wound list would allow puppies to kick the decision on who to keep the 40 a little along the way. They will still need to open a place for Keller, but perhaps he will fall on one of the launchers who have been optional in the spring.

In any case, it seems that the puppies have their 26 men to start the season. There will be changes throughout the year and everyone will have to contribute in some way. But in a season in which it seems that the works are in line, getting the most out of the group looks like a must for Hoyer, Counsell and the organization.

(Top photo of Brad Keller: Rick Scari / Imagn Images)