When the Milwaukee Brewers non-tendered long-time reliever Hoby Milner last month, it didn’t take a genius to connect those dots and suggest the Chicago Cubs would reach out.
Whether I’m a genius or not, I did connect those dots.
So then, no surprise to learn tonight that the Cubs have “real interest” in Milner, per The Athletic.
As a funky lefty who consistent got good results for Craig Counsell in Milwaukee, it’s just an obvious on-paper fit if the sides can figure out the contract. Before he was non-tendered, the soon-to-be 34-year-old was projected to get $2.7 million in arbitration.
As you can see, via FanGraphs, Milner really came into his own with the Brewers, generally getting a decent number of strikeouts, walking no one, and getting a boatload of groundballs:
The fall off in results in 2024 seems to be almost exclusively thanks to one of the most absurd left on base rate, which is rarely attributable to skill (unless he completely forgot how to pitch with runners on base last year). The BABIP and HR/FB were up, too, but here’s the thing: his hard hit rate was normal and his barrel rate was a microscopic 2.7%! He was not getting lit up. On paper, this looks like bad luck, plain and simple.
Milner offers relatively consistent performance, a completely different look for the bullpen, and a veteran presence. I’m in. Add him to the mix on a modest deal.
And don’t stop there. The Cubs have SO MUCH optionable depth in the bullpen that they can afford – from a roster perspective – to add multiple arms in the bullpen externally, even after picking up Eli Morgan and Rob Zastryzny.
