Pittsburgh Pirates: Five Potential Inter-Division Trade Targets

LHP Hoby Milner

As stated with Peralta, the Brewers are open to moving any and all veteran players. One relief pitcher they may be willing to move is Hoby Milner, who is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign. The Pirates could use another decent left-handed reliever to pair with Ryan Borucki now that they lost Angel Perdomo to Tommy John surgery and the Atlanta Braves via waivers.

Milner pitched 67 innings last year, working to a 1.82 ERA, 3.12 FIP, and 0.96 WHIP. Milner was a BABIP merchant, with a .254 remark on one of the best defensive teams in baseball. But that doesn’t mean he needs an outstanding defense in order to be good. Even though most side-arm pitchers don’t have high K%’s, Milner had an above-average 23.4% strikeout rate despite averaging 88-90 MPH with his sinker and fastball.

The lefty is also a soft contact machine. His 86.6 MPH exit velocity was in the 91st percentile. He also had a ground ball rate of 50.9%. Now, does that mean I expect Milner to repeat a sub-2.00 ERA? No, I would not. That’s a big ask for even the best relief pitchers in the game. But he can still be a quality left-handed arm out of the bullpen.

Milner is an affordable arm with two years of control remaining. He is estimated to make around $1.7 million in arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors and their arbitration predictions. With the Pirates now needing a second left-handed reliever and the free agent market being top-heavy for them, Milner should be on the Pirates’ list of potential targets.