On the heels of the Winter Meetings in Dallas last week, the Toronto Blue Jays continue to wheel and deal on the free-agent front. One of their latest signings is right-hander Bobby Milacki, who inks a minor league deal with the Blue Jays after a two-year stint within the San Diego Padres farm system. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi was first on the news.

“A few teams were poking around and expressing interest this winter,” said Milacki, speaking to Blue Jays Nation. “I really liked the Blue Jays organization and the way they carried themselves, even when I was on opposing teams. When my agent told me that there was interest from Toronto, I thought it was a good match. My father (Bob) said that pitching in Toronto was one of his favourite places to take the mound, he just loved pitching up there.”

Baseball runs in Bobby Milacki’s blood – his father, Bob Milacki, spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, most of which with the Kansas City Royals. He appeared in 143 games (125 starts) and posted a 4.38 ERA through 795 2/3 innings. The elder Milacki appeared in five games at ‘The Skydome’ over his career, posting a 1.379 WHIP through 23 1/3 innings. His experience and wisdom have gone a long way with the newest Blue Jay, who continues to work with his father on his quest to the Major Leagues.

“My father has always been my catching partner, he and I are always working in the lab and adjusting things with my mechanics or pitch selection,” said Milacki. “He pitched in the era when there wasn’t advanced analytics or real-time video feedback but he and I are always watching video, always watching my mechanics and things to improve upon. He’s really helped me learn about what to look for in opposing batter’s when it comes to their reactions and what pitch to follow up with in certain situations.”

A late-round draft pick of the Washington Nationals in 2018, Milacki spent two years in the Nationals’ farm system before he and a bunch of minor leaguers were let go during the 2020 season, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the right-hander has spent time with the Minnesota Twins and some different Independent League teams before latching with the Padres in 2023.

With San Diego’s high-A and double-A affiliate that year, Milacki posted a 3.90 ERA through 32 appearances (five starts) split between both leagues. He authored a 1.313 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, and a 9.6 K/9 during his first stint with the Padres. To finish out the year, Milacki took his talents to Puerto Rico where he suited up for Cangrejeros de Santurce, making five relief appearances and allowing just one earned run through 5 2/3 innings.

“I didn’t feel like the season went the way I wanted, especially late in the year,” said Milacki. “I really wasn’t getting what I wanted from my changeup and it’s funny, I was watching Nathan Eovaldi in the World Series and the success he was having with his split-finger and decided to add that pitch into my arsenal and model after what he was doing with it. And it was working for me, and I was trying it out in Puerto Rico and having a lot of success with it. It was something to have in my back pocket heading into the new year, that’s for sure.”

Milacki also got some helpful advice from a Japanese Baseball Hall of Famer.

“(Hideo) Nomo was working with the Padres in an advisor role and I got to spend some time with him working on my split-finger,” said Milacki. “Learning from him was such an incredible experience and joining a team that boasts other splitter-throwing types like Gausman and Swanson I think is really going to help my execution on it as well.”

Out of the gate last year, Milacki was finding success in double-A with the San Antonio Missions and was moved to triple-A after a few games.

After a cup of coffee in El Paso, he was heading back to San Antonio where he just continued to dominate, dropping his ERA to 2.63 by mid-July. He would finish the season in double-A with a 3.13 ERA, a 1.217 WHIP, and a 8.0 K/9 to go along with a 1.4 BB/9 – allowing just seven walks through 46 innings of work. He posted a 5.86 K/BB rate and allowed just 16 earned runs and two home runs all season with the Missions.

With a new organization heading into the Spring, Milacki is looking to make the most of the opportunity as he continues to march toward the big leagues. He will likely begin the season in triple-A, providing more pitching depth for the Toronto Blue Jays and will be ready to be called on should the need arise.

“I am always working on my command, especially with my fastball,” said Milacki. “I don’t think my walk rates last year were wild by any means but I want to fine-tune the command on my fastball and just be able to get some more swing and miss on it. Minimize the mistake pitches and missing my spots with it.”