The Cubs and left-hander Hoby Milner are in agreement on a one-year deal. The MVP Sports Group will make $3.75MM plus incentives. Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation was first on the deal. Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic noted it would be for one year. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had the guarantee. The Cubs have multiple 40-man vacancies and don’t need to make a corresponding move.
More to come.
Milner throws from an unorthodox arm angle on the left side. Would love to see them sign Tyler Rogers as he also throws from an unorthodox angle, but the right side. Deception in the bullpen is key.
Blue Jays and Rangers. You guys are cooked even more!
Milner is a submariner and I saw him a lot when he pitched against the Astros, I would actually say he’s just a mid reliever or so. 7th inning guy at best and an occasional 8th inning pitcher when you are desperate. The 3.75 million doesn’t tell you that he’s going to be a high leverage reliever throughout the year.
Me personally, he came in a lot of high leverage scenarios, especially with lefties on deck. I think he came in a bit too many, I don’t think he’s going to be used as the team’s setup man, rather a pitcher that solves lefty batter problems.
Who’s got better stuff: Milner or Andrew Saalfrank?
OK. But can we still bring back Thielbar?
Loved his new threads card in MLB The Show 25. Nasty, especially against lefties.
Wow. This should’ve been a minor league deal.
The Cubs operate so oddly: Why not just sign the guys who were good for you last season–Thielbar, Pomeranz, Keller–instead of analogous mid-tier additions? It’s as though part of the rules is, you need a new bullpen every year.
Simple, the guys that leave end up with multi year deals somewhere. Cubs don’t give out multi year deals to relievers.
Barely above replacement level for his career, below replacement level for the last couple seasons, and he’ll be 35 in 2026. (That’s the B-R take. FanGraphs is a little more bullish.)
I really doubt that the Cubs are expecting much from him and the deal seems like a slight overpay. But it’s only for one year and the Cubs have to look like they’re doing something.
My favorite MLB the show reliever.
Find Hober Mallow.