The Mariners’ September roster moves brought a little of everything: a top prospect, a fresh arm for a battered bullpen, and two more names pushed off the 40-man roster.
Seattle officially promoted outfield prospect Lazaro Montes, then added left-hander Hoby Milner on a minor league deal after his release by the Cubs and selected him to the major league roster. To clear space, the Mariners designated first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe and right-hander Nolan Kingham for assignment.
Milner is the kind of pickup teams make when they’re trying to patch a bullpen without overcommitting. The 35-year-old arrives right after an unexpected exit from Chicago, where he posted a 3.53 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. The strikeout and ground-ball numbers both slipped, and the Cubs cut him loose after he missed two months because of appendicitis.
Even with the recent wobble, Milner has built a long career as a situational lefty. Only Tim Hill throws from a lower average arm angle among southpaws.
Like most submariners, Milner works with below-average velocity - his sinker averages 87 mph - and leans on command and ground balls. In Seattle, he joins Jose A.
Ferrer and Gabe Speier as left-handers in Dan Wilson’s bullpen.
The timing makes sense for the Mariners, who have lost five straight and are now a season-worst 10 games under .500. They sit 5.5 games out in the Wild Card race and six back in the AL West.
The bullpen has been especially rough in the second half, putting up a 6.38 ERA that ranks second-worst in MLB, just ahead of the A’s, and the club has blown eight leads since the All-Star Break. Seattle doesn’t have much downside here: the Cubs are covering most of Milner’s $3.75MM salary, while the Mariners only owe him the prorated $780K league minimum for the final stretch before he returns to free agency at year’s end.
Kingham’s stay on the roster was brief. Seattle claimed him off waivers from the Rangers a few weeks ago, and he has spent his time on optional assignment with Triple-A Tacoma, where he allowed seven runs in 14 2/3 innings.
The University of Texas product owns a 6.34 ERA in 61 Pacific Coast League innings this season. He also made his big league debut with Texas on deadline day, allowing one run in an inning against the Giants.
Joe’s Seattle stint has been uneven as well. He signed a minor league deal over the winter, earned a call-up in early April, and has appeared in 21 big league games this season.
In 45 plate appearances, the right-handed hitter has batted .179 with one home run. Across seven MLB seasons and six clubs, Joe owns a .238/.332/.382 line.
He also hit .264/.365/.420 with eight homers for Tacoma this year.
Both Kingham and Joe will go on waivers this week. Joe has a previous outright assignment and could choose free agency if he clears. Kingham does not have the right to refuse an outright assignment, though he would be eligible for minor league free agency this winter if he is not on a 40-man roster.
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Against that backdrop, Randy Arozarena stands out as one of the few hitters giving Seattle a reliable spark. His offense has been strong, and the improved plate discipline is a good sign for a team that needs more traffic on the bases and more consistent at-bats across the board, even if his defense remains a concern. When a club is trying to stay in the race while its run scoring keeps sputtering, the obvious move is often the one that best rewards the player doing the most to keep the lineup afloat. [Read more 🡒]
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To make the pieces fit, Seattle designated utilityman Connor Joe and pitcher Nolan Kingham for assignment, the kind of roster shuffle that usually says as much about the moment as the players involved. The Mariners are clearly playing for flexibility now, looking for any edge they can find while also creating a lane for Montes to get his first big league look, with the bigger question being how far these moves can carry them if the season keeps stretching deeper. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Finally Turn To One Of Their Most Intriguing Young Bats
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Seattle also added pitcher Hoby Milner after he recently signed a minor league contract following his release by the Chicago Cubs, while Connor Joe and Nolan Kingham were designated for assignment. The moves show the Mariners trying to keep the roster flexible while making room for a prospect who has earned a long look, and now the question shifts to how quickly Montes can translate that promise once he gets on the field. [Read more 🡒]