As part of the Toronto Blue Jays ongoing overhaul of their bullpen this offseason, they have added potentially another low-risk, high-reward option over the past weekend by signing reliever Bobby Milacki to a minor league contract.
As the son of former MLB pitcher Bob Milacki, who was most known for being a part of a combined no-hitter as a member of the Baltimore Orioles back on July 13, 1991, Bobby is a former 38th round pick by the Washington Nationals back in the 2018 MLB Draft. Having yet to make his debut in the majors, Milacki has spent the past seven years with a number of different organizations including the Nationals, Minnesota Twins and most recently, the San Diego Padres.
Blue Jays sign Bobby Milacki to minor league contract
Last season, he split his time between the Padres’ Double-A affiliate San Antonio and Triple-A affiliate El Paso, posting a 1-1 record, 4.75 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, giving up 29 earned runs on 65 hits with 13 walks and 49 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched over 31 relief appearances. For his minor league career, Milacki has averaged almost a strikeout per inning, while compiling a respectable 17-13 winning record, along with a 3.80 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 134 games played that included 13 starts.
Having just turned 28 years old last month and with the Jays in desperate need of relief pitching help, Milacki will now have the prime opportunity to finally make the big leagues for this upcoming season. For a Blue Jays’ bullpen that ranked a dismal 29th in the league in strikeouts with just 502 during the 2024 campaign, he could provide some much-needed help in that department, having struck out 414 batters in 418.2 innings of work during his entire baseball career.
For now, Milacki will likely serve as valuable bullpen depth until he proves that he deserves a shot with the big league club. Nevertheless, having plentiful insurance pitching depth will be vital for the Jays’ success going forward, given what they experienced during the dreadful 2024 season.