Craig Counsell debunks erroneous Hoby Milner report that raised eyebrows

During the Chicago Cubs-Cincinnati Reds series opener Friday afternoon, a report from Mark Feinsand surfaced, claiming the team was designating veteran left-hander Hoby Milner for assignment.

Well, it turns out that's not the case. Feinsand wound up issuing a correction and manager Craig Counsell flat-out dismissed his initial report. Milner was not designated for assignment. Instead, he was placed on waivers.

Here's what that means.

If any of the other 29 teams place a claim on Milner, he and the roughly $800K remaining on his contract are gone - plain and simple. Had he been designated for assignment, the Cubs would immediately have an open 40-man spot. Instead, for the time being, he remains on the roster until some sort of transaction takes place.

If he isn't claimed (which I think is unlikely given postseason contenders are always looking for established arms), he could remain with the team. Remember, rosters expand early next week and that could open a pathway to him re-joining the Cubs' big-league team. It's still a peculiar move when you have Caleb Thielbar struggling, but here we are.

Jed Hoyer's bullpen additions have largely been a mess this season

Milner was solid with the Cubs, but hasn't pitched since late June. Hunter Harvey and Phil Maton, the team's two biggest offseason bullpen expenditures, have been total disasters - adding negative value to the mix. Jacob Webb has undoubtedly been a huge win, but cracks have started to show of late, and the same can be said for Trent Thornton, who was hit hard in Friday's loss to the Reds.

If Chicago wants to make a serious October run, they need to sort out the bullpen questions it's facing amidst a rough stretch of play. I'm not sure how losing Milner helps them do that, but that seems to be the direction things are trending. We'll be keeping a close eye on things this weekend to see if anyone places a claim on him.

Either way, we'll have our answer by Sunday afternoon (there's a 48-hour window for teams to make a claim).

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