Hoby Milner has found a new landing spot after his brief stay with the Cubs ended in a DFA. The left-hander has signed a minor-league deal with the Seattle Mariners, putting a quick end to a confusing stretch in Chicago that wrapped with the Cubs designating him for assignment.
Seattle is taking a flier on Milner at a time when the club still has work to do if it wants to push into the playoff race. The Mariners came into Tuesday with playoff odds just north of 11 percent and are chasing the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers in what is described as a soft American League West.
If they’re going to make a September charge, the bullpen has to do more. Mariners relievers rank 23rd in the majors with a 4.44 ERA, even though Gabe Speier has been excellent from the left side with a 2.58 ERA in 45 appearances and José A.
Ferrer has also been a solid left-handed option.
Milner’s time with the Cubs was steady, if not flashy. His 2026 season got knocked off course by an emergency appendectomy in late June, and he still hasn’t returned to a big-league mound since. Before that, he was basically tracking with his usual numbers, logging 38 appearances with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.206 WHIP.
Chicago brought Milner in last winter on a one-year deal, hoping he could give the bullpen another dependable lefty alongside Caleb Thielbar after Thielbar’s strong 2025. That plan hasn’t really played out. Thielbar has slipped, and with Milner out, Ryan Rolison has become the club’s main southpaw, putting up a 3.08 ERA across 52 2/3 innings.
The Cubs’ offseason bullpen moves have been under the microscope all year, especially with Hunter Harvey lasting only four innings before landing on the shelf and Phil Maton either ineffective or unavailable for much of the season. Milner doesn’t belong in that same bucket, but the overall return on Chicago’s bullpen investment has still been disappointing.
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Shelby Miller Suddenly Looks Like A Bigger Cubs Bullpen Concern
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The bigger issue now is whether Miller can show he is built to work on consecutive days, since that has been the standard the Cubs have been waiting on throughout the rehab. Until he does, the timeline remains unsettled, and the next update is expected once the roster expansion period begins. For a bullpen that could use another dependable arm, the delay leaves another question hanging over the late-season picture. [Read more 🡒]