Cubs Add To Bullpen Signing Ground-Ball Specialist To One-Year Deal

There has been some concern about the Chicago Cubs' bullpen, as the bulk of it — Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, and Drew Pomeranz — could all be departing the roster.

Management made its first move to address the situation by signing Phil Maton to a two-year deal on November 21, but it hasn't secured anyone else since then, until now.

On December 11, news broke from multiple sources that the Cubs had signed veteran left-handed reliever Hoby Milner, who spent last season with the Texas Rangers. The organization isn't known for giving multi-year contracts to their bullpen, so it comes as no surprise that Milner's deal is a one-year, $3.75M agreement with incentives.

Hoby Milner has agreed to a one-year, $3.75 million deal with the Cubs, per source. The deal also includes incentives.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 11, 2025

However, this wasn't the only recent addition, as the Cubs also picked up Collin Snider, who has spent the last two seasons with the Seattle Mariners, a day earlier. Snider will start in Triple-A, but he does have an invite to spring training.

A look at Hoby Milner's career

The soon-to-be 35-year-old has been playing in the majors since he made his debut back in 2017, five years after being drafted by the Phillies. But he didn't take on a role as a primary reliever until 2022 with the Brewers.

Hoby Milner throwing a pitch for the Rangers out of the bullpe — William Purnell-Imagn Images

In his last four seasons, Milner has been a workhorse for both the Brewers and the Rangers, and in three of those seasons, he posted an ERA under 4.00.

In 2025, Milner went 3-4, posting a 3.84 ERA in 73 appearances (70.1 innings) and tallying 58 strikeouts. He also kept opponents to a .256 batting average.

And with a 1.62 groundout-to-airout ratio (meaning batters hit ground ball outs more often), Snider plays into the Cubs' defensive strengths.

Who is Collin Snider?

Collin Snider throwing a pitch against the Athletics for the Mariners out of the bullpe — Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Snider has 128 appearances over four seasons in the league. In 2025, he posted a 5.47 ERA across 26.1 innings pitched in 24 games. The Cubs likely took his 2024 season into consideration, as he took on a larger workload, posting a 1.94 ERA across 41.2 innings pitched in 42 appearances.

There isn't a team in baseball that can't benefit from adding arms to the pen at a bargain price, and both of these additions are low-risk, high-reward moves for the Cubs.

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